Haseen Habib:50 Years in Fire Protection

Services

Ala, ZIA, ala_zia@hotmail.com, MBA Candidate, IBA Karachi

Amber Gul RASHID, arashid@iba.edu.pk, Faculty Member, IBA Karachi
Lalarukh EJAZ, lejaz@iba.edu.pk, Faculty Member, IBA Karachi
Haseen Habib: Fire Protection Services
The flames of the massive fire leapt towards the sky as they engulfed the garment factory in
Baldia Town, a suburb of the industrial city of Karachi1, killing some 289 employees2. The
skyline remained a canvas of deep grey clouds billowing from the tragedy below. Whether it was
an act of terrorism, rivalry between two competing business interests or an extortion attempt
gone wrong, lives could have been saved had simple fire protection measures been in place at the
factory.

Fawad Barry contemplated over the news as he sipped a cup of tea, preparing for his interview at
a leading morning show aired on the country’s biggest private television network. He was clear
in his mind over what he had to say: the same message that he and his family had striven to
convey through Haseen Habib Fire Protection Systems for the past 50 years.

The Barrys

Haseen Habib was founded in the Pakistani city of Lahore after the 1965 war in view of the
growing need for fire protection and safety by two brothers, Ata-ur-Rahman Barry and Ateeq-ur-
Rahman Barry. They started off in the indenting business and imported a large range of items
including fire equipment.

1
Express Tribune, 2015. Baldia factory fire: Three years, as many reports and the trial goes on. [Online]
Available at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/954524/baldia-factory-fire-three-years-as-many-reports-and-
the-trial-goes-on/; last accessed on 5th November 2015

2
Express Tribune, 2015. Baldia factory fire: Three years, as many reports and the trial goes on. [Online]
Available at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/954524/baldia-factory-fire-three-years-as-many-reports-and-
the-trial-goes-on/; last accessed on 5th November 2015

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As the business continued to grow, Ata-ur Rahman continued to run the Lahore wing while
Ateeq-ur-Rahman Barry set up a branch in Karachi in 1968 which was the trading arm of the
company. In 1992, the Karachi branch became a separate company known as Haseen Habib
Trading which now boasts regional offices in 3 other major cities of the country: Lahore,
Islamabad and Rawalpindi. At the same time, the Lahore wing came to be known as Haseen
Habib Corporation, and continued to be run as a separate entity with presence in three major
cities including Karachi.

Ateeq-ur-Rahman Barry, now a 71--___ year old with white hair and a neatly trimmed beard,
reminisced about the past as he recalled a grim picture after the second war with India in 1971.
The Keamari3 port lit up a blacked out Karachi. Oil companies faced major losses as their ships
and trucks stood ablaze, the dire situation raising alarm bells and causing these companies to take
a more proactive approach towards fire safety. However, once the war ended the challenge still
remained: raising awareness and willingness to take preventive action rather than placing all
faith in post-incident recovery.

In order to meet the growing challenges in the industry, Ateeq-ur-Rahman Barry, the head of
Haseen Habib Trading in Karachi, took a progressive approach and sent his son abroad to gain
specialized education in the field. His son Fawad Barry went to the UK where he earned a
Diploma in Installation of Fire Systems and subsequently attended multiple trainings and
seminars in Germany, France and the US where he engaged with principal suppliers and gained
advanced technical knowledge and skills regarding fire safety. Fawad was the current Managing
Director of the firm. He was involved in various organizations such as NFPA (National Fire
Protection Association) USA, Director FPAP (Fire Protection Association of Pakistan), Member
Technical Committee for Diploma of Fire & Security, Sindh Technical Board, Chairman CPLC-
NC4 Chanesar Halt and Patron Youth Parliament.

3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trident_(1971), last accessed 5th November 2015.
4
CPLC-NC stands for Citizen Police Liaison Committee, Neighborhood Care which is an organization aimed at
providing amenities and security to neighborhoods in Karachi.

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Fawad’s brother, Jawad Ateeq Barry, was the Executive Director of Haseen Habib and had
obtained a Diploma in Fire Protection Engineering from Canada. He looked after the sales and
operations of the business. Their father continued to be a source of inspiration for both of them.
However, thwarting Haseen Habib’s vision was the prevailing mindset of coping with a fire after
it had occurred rather than preventing and reducing the instances of fire. This mindset led to lack
of preparation in the face of a fire and endless casualties which could be prevented if simple
measures were in place.(Exhibit 1: Family photo with caption). The entire family strove to
change this mindset. Thus the history of the family and the company were inextricably linked,
with the progress of one tied to the progress of the other.

Haseen Habib Fire Protection Systems

Haseen Habib was created with the mission to protect lives and properties 50 years ago in 1965
in the city of Lahore, Pakistan driven by the situation in the country. This was the year of the
first war between arch rivals India and Pakistan, resulting in loss of life for many. Fawad,
Managing Director Haseen Habib, found himself driven by the same humanitarian mission
today. Haseen Habib imported its equipment from US, China and Europe and was the largest
stockist and authorized distributor of fire protection and safety equipment in Pakistan. Their
business was largely directed towards providing fire protection equipment to high risk sectors
including oil and gas, chemicals, textiles, paint, nuclear and defense. Increasingly, they were also
providing training to various industry sectors and academic institutes.

Their product portfolio included firefighting equipment like fire extinguishers, safety items
which included head-to-toe safety attire for industrial workers, and fire alarm systems including
smoke detectors. Exhibit 2 provides a detailed overview of their product lines. Together with
product delivery and installation, training had become a fundamental aspect of Haseen Habib’s
services. Training sessions were conducted in-house in their warehousing and service facility in
Korangi, Karachi and could also be conducted at the client’s office or factory. The custom-built

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training centre in Korangi5 resonated with the customer education philosophy at Haseen Habib
(Exhibit 3 – photos).

Training Philosophy

As effective fire protection was not possible without adequate training, Haseen Habib placed a
lot of importance on training industrial workers and managers regarding the use and importance
of safety equipment. Educational institutes presented another challenge. The idea was to instill
knowledge regarding specific instances of fire and how one must act in different situations for
their own safety and that of those around them.

The beginner level trainings included Basic Fire Fighting, First Responder, Emergency Response
Team Development, Maintenance of Fire Extinguishers, and First Aid training. Further advanced
courses in fire management including Advance Fire Fighting, Confined Space Entry, Fall
Protection, Hazardous Materials, Risk Assessment, and Industrial Incident Management were
also in the pipeline. Trainings were provided by staff that Haseen Habib had sent abroad to get
trained in state-of-the-art techniques.

These trainings were aimed not only at industrial workers but also office staff and students. The
training team no. of people in team? had also approached different stakeholders like the Chamber
of Commerce, SITE and Korangi Association to educate staff regarding basic safety measures,
use of fire extinguishers and steps to control different types of fire. However, some viewed their
attempts with suspicion.

The management also organized and participated in events raising awareness about fire safety
such as the Fall Protection Seminar in Lahore, and the Fire & Safety Show at Expo Centre,
Karachi6. They disseminated brochures, safety stickers and other educational material free of cost
in order to raise awareness regarding fire hazards and safety procedures. Exhibits 4 and 5 give
further details about the company.

5
Interview with Fawad Barry
6
From the company’s website: www.haseenhabib.com/. Last accessed: 20 August 2015

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However, Haseen Habib struggled with the attitude of the public policy makers and the public in
general, for whom fire safety was not a huge concern. The focus was on putting out fires once
they started, rather than preventing fires from starting in the first place. The latter philosophy
was at the heart of Haseen Habib’s vision but miles apart from the prevalent trend in the country.
In a country where investment in risk management was considered an unnecessary expense and
often took a back seat to more pressing matters, imparting knowledge and a sense of urgency
was a momentous challenge.

Safety Measures in the Pakistani Industry

Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world with almost half the population now
residing in towns of 5000 or more people7. In 2015 the economy was the 26th largest in the world
in terms of Purchasing Power Parity and thirty eighth in terms of GDP 8. However the
undocumented, informal economy also formed a large part of the Pakistani socio-economic
landscape. The services industry made up over 50% of the GDP9.

Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, generated about 70% of the total revenues of the country 10.
Industry in Pakistan continued to be labour intensive, employing up to 10 times as much labour
as the developed world[ CITATION Far \l 1033 ]. The developing world has long been known for
low cost of production amid limited government and legislative regulations and a glaring lack of
regard for occupational safety. Working conditions, safety equipment and fire protection
measures are largely ‘discretionary’ as laws may exist but enforcement is lacking. On-the-job
injuries and health hazards are common, mostly due to a lack of basic safety knowledge and
dearth of equipment like ear defenders, helmets, protective shoes, goggles and gloves. Further,
exits and walkways are often blocked and inaccessible.

7
Population, Labour Force and Employment PAKISTAN ECONOMIC SURVEY 2014-15
8
Bloomberg, The Secret Strength of Pakistan’s Economy, 2012
9
Pakistan Economic Survey 2014-15
10
Farooqui, R. U., Arif, F., Rafeeqi, S. F. A. Safety Performance in Construction Industry in Pakistan, First
International Conference on Construction In Developing Countries (ICCIDC–I), August 4-5, 2008, Karachi, Pakistan,
http://www.neduet.edu.pk/Civil/ICCIDC-I/Conference%20Proceedings/Papers/009.pdf, last accessed on 5th
November, 2015

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Studies conducted in Pakistan revealed that the key reason for such injuries were a lack of
awareness among personnel about self-safety measures and safe work habits, general lack of
concern for safety as part of the strategic objectives of the firm and a lack of formal regulation
governing risk in the workplace 8. Conventionally, safety was considered post-injury after the
occurrence of an event. In case of a fire or a safety incident, fire brigades not reaching on time
were often cited as the key reason for the severity of injuries or number of casualties.

Company Management
At Haseen Habib, the philosophy of risk management is different. As Fawad mentions:

“Fire brigades are the last line of defense – especially due to the fact that the fire brigade
system in Karachi has only 10% of the capacity and equipment of what it should ideally have to
be able to protect the city.”

The doctrine of prevention was instilled and reinforced throughout the company which strove to
create awareness about basic fire prevention measures and safety equipment. Protection of lives
and property was not only a company mission but a personal vision, deeply entrenched in
religious and ethical values, as demonstrated by the company’s slogan based on a Qur’anic 11
verse: ‘Oh God, save us from the Fire’.

The ‘Family’ Way of Running a Business

For both Fawad and Jawad, Haseen Habib - named after their grandfather and grandmother - was
a source of pride which drove them to excel and push the company towards greater progress. As
a company driven by documentation and clear procedures, they implemented SAP in 2014 in
order to streamline inventory control, order management and distribution. This reduced the need
for paperwork and was a big move in a country where few local companies could claim to have
this level of automation. Their processes and systems were also awarded the ISO
9001:2008 Certification in Fire Protection and Safety Equipment.
11
The Qur’an is the Holy Book of the Muslims.

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While systems and controls were in place, business for the family was tightly knit with religious
and moral values. Despite being one of the biggest importers in a country where corruption was a
huge issue, they had an untainted reputation for work ethics and honesty and were known to
never give or accept a bribe in order to get customs’ clearance.

Each employee was considered a part of the family with health and life insurance, gratuity,
multiple bonuses per year, leave encashment and transportation. Training of employees was
considered critical and selected employees were sent for training abroad each year. With the
business growth at rates of 20-30%, up to 5 bonuses were given out in 2014 to drive employee
motivation and commitment. Haseen Habib prided itself on being a performance-based
organization with engineers and other staff rising from entry level positions to senior members in
the organizations based on their diligence and value to the company.

Taking the philosophy of Ateeq-ur-Rahman Barry further, Haseen Habib Foundation Trust had
been set up to alleviate poverty and promote education and sports among young children. The
company also considered building awareness about basic fire protection and safety a social
responsibility and distributed flyers and safety signs free of cost. They also conducted free
awareness and training seminars on the issue.

The Road Ahead

As Fawad Barry drove to his interview, he assessed where Haseen Habib stood. The construction
of the new purpose-build corporate office, Haseen Habib House, had begun in 2015. Finance,
operations, HR, and training would then be organized under one roof. His company was going
from strength to strength. However, a deep sadness crept in his heart. Despite so many decades,
public awareness had been slow to develop. The prevalent mindset was still to deal with the
consequences of a fire breakout rather than to take preventive actions early on.

He wanted to inculcate a mindset of risk reduction and prevention.

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Exhibit 1 – Family Photo with Caption

Exhibit 2 - Product Lines of Haseen Habib

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  Fire Alarm System
 Suppression Systems
 Sprinkler System
 Fire Hydrant System
 Gas Detection
 Fire Extinguishers
 Fire Extinguishing Agents
 Foam Systems
 Foam making equipment
 Breathing Appliances
 Fire Doors
 Fire Gears and Gadgets
 Portable Fire pumps
 Safety Lights
 Head, Face and Eye Protection
 Safety shower and eye wash
 Spill response products
 Safety Footwear

Exhibit 3 – Photos of Custom Built Office and Training Centre

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 Haseen Habib House & Training Centre
Exhibit 4 – Haseen Habib Profile12

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From company website http://www.haseenhabib.com/, last accessed on 5th November 2015

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LOGO

TRAINING CENTER

Training is the basic building block for safe work habits and a safe work environment. Training is the
foundation of a quality work place in industry, government and public safety. Our Training Center
located at Korangi, Karachi plans and delivers quality training on Fire and Safety to enhance the ability of
the workers to protect life, property and environment.

PROJECT DIVISION

Being the largest installer of Fire Suppression Systems in the country, we have established an EXCLUSIVE
PROJECT DIVISION where number of professional engineers in Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical
engineering are dedicatedly working to design and install all kind of Fire Alarm and Suppression Systems,
Fire Hydrants Systems, Sprinklers, FM200 TM, NOVEC1230® & Foam Systems. List of our satisfied clients
for such systems has crossed to over 10,000 throughout Pakistan during the last two decades.

EXHIBITIONS AND SEMINARS

We at HASEEN HABIB endeavor our best to create a better understanding of Fire and Safety among our
people. For this purpose, we hold seminars, arrange exhibitions and conduct demonstrations from time
to time.

CONTACT US

We invite you to visit our display centers and see the display of complete range of latest firefighting and
safety equipment or call us at 111 SAFETY (723 389). We welcome the opportunity to be of service and
encourage you to contact us on any matters pertaining to Fire Fighting, Fire Alarms, Safety, Rescue and
Emergency equipment. You can also visit us at www.haseenhabib.com

Exhibit 5 – Haseen Habib Brochure

INTRODUCTION

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Total Fire Protection, Safety and Rescue with Authenticity, Credibility and Conviction.

We introduce ourselves as the leading ISO 9001:2008 Certified Fire Safety Equipment and Systems
Company in Pakistan. Being second generation in the field of Fire Protection & Safety for last fifty (50)
years, we are the largest Importer, stockiest and installer of Fire Fighting, Safety and Rescue Equipment
in the country. We claim to be the flag bearer of Fire Detection, Life Safety, Fire Suppression and Fire
Fighting Systems in Pakistan. We are providing nationwide services to our esteemed strategic defense
organizations, government and multinational clients with highly professional, experienced and skilled
staff. Haseen Habib is operating with its head office in Karachi, branch offices, display centers and
Training Center in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi / Islamabad.

MANAGEMENT

 CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Mr. Ateeq‐ur‐Rahman Barry is heading the company for the last five decades. He is graduate from
Government College Lahore. Having thorough command on the subject of Firefighting, he is unmatched
leader of this profession.

 MANAGING DIRECTOR

Mr. Fawad Barry is the Managing Director. With several international trainings and diplomas in this field,
he enjoys imparting his twenty four (24) years’ experience to society. He is Member NFPA [National Fire
Protection Association, USA] and Director FPAP [Fire Protection Association of Pakistan]. Being a famous
spokesman of this profession, he often conducts public awareness seminars and attends electronic
media talk‐shows.

 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mr. Jawad Barry is the Executive Director. With the academic background of Fire Protection Engineering
from Seneca College, Canada, he is playing his role in protecting the society with fire and safety
equipment for the last fourteen years.

VISION
Every fire safety decision is potentially a matter of life and death that is why it is so critical to make sure
you are working with the best equipment and services available.

MISSION

Protection of lives and property by providing appropriate, efficient and cost effective solutions and
quality equipment in the field of Firefighting and Safety to our customers supported by installation of
equipment and training.

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HSE POLICY

Our corporate policy is to work in such a manner as to prevent personal injury, loss or damage to the
property or environment. Safety is the utmost priority and all our employees from executive
management to common workers are responsible in achieving our THREE ZERO TARGETS.

 ZERO ACCIDENT
 ZERO PERSONAL INJURY
 ZERO PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT

DEDICATED TEAM AND STAFF

We believe in the strength of Team Work and organized around 150 members including highly
professional engineers and skillful technical workforce engaged in designing and execution of projects.
All of our offices are managed by highly experienced and qualified professionals with hard working and
dedicated staff.

WORK

We specialize in fire and safety of high, ordinary and low hazard industry with a wide variety of products
from the world most trusted brands, readily available from our stock. We deal in complete range of Fire
Fighting Equipment, Fire Hydrants, Water and Foam Sprinklers System, Automatic Fire Suppression
Systems, Gas and Flame Detection Systems and Industrial safety Equipment. We are currently providing
services to Oil and Gas Fields, Oil Refineries, Power Plants, Chemicals Plants, Fire Brigades, Seaports and
Airports, the Armed Forces, High rise buildings, Electronics and Telecom companies, Banks and various
national and multinational organizations. We also conduct surveys, Fire Risk Assessments, Trainings,
Planning and Consultancy services to different organization. You name it, we are already there!

PRODUCT CATEGORIES

We have distributed our product lineup into four categories and we are the authorized distributor for
the following world renowned manufacturers:

FIRE

 ANSUL®

 GLORIA®

 SCOTT SAFETY®

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 SKUM®

 SFFECO®

 ZIEGLER®

 FIRST ALERT®

 OSW®

 PENTAIR®

 JACTONE®

 BULLARD®

 EAGLE FIRE UK

 S T PROTECT®

SAFETY

 CAPITAL SAFETY®

 UVEX®

 HONEYWELL SAFETY®

 HONEYWELL ANALYTICS

 BRIGHT STAR®

 MASTER LOCK®

 SPEAKMAN®

 LAKELAND INDUSTRIES®

 JUSTRITE®

FIXED SYSTEMS

 TYCO® FIRE PROTECTION PRODUCTS

 SIMPLEX®

 EDWARDS® [EST]

 XTRALIS® VESDATM

 MACRON®

 HYGOOD®

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 SAPPHIRE®

 FIRECLASS®

 KILSEN®

 BW TECHNOLOGIES®

RESCUE

 HOLMATRO®

AFFILIATIONS

 Member Pakistan Engineering Council

 Member Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry
 Member Korangi Association Trade Industry
 Member National Fire Protection Association, USA
 Director Fire Protection Association of Pakistan
 Member Pak German Business Forum

ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS

 Diploma, Sprinkler Systems and Installation, Fire Service College, UK – 1993

 Graduation, ANSUL Fire School, Fire Technology Center, USA – 1995
 ISO 9000 Certification – 2001
 Tyco Certified FM200® System Designer – 2001
 Development of Firefighting Training Center – 2007
 Tyco Consistent Performance Award in Thailand – 2011
 Tyco Platinum Distributor Award in Thailand – 2012
 Development of Project Division for design and installation of fire suppression systems
– 2012
 Sponsorship of International Conference of Information and Communication
Technologies [ICICT] in IBA, inaugurated by President of Pakistan – 2013
 Simplex Certified System Integrator – 2014
 Establishment of Haseen Habib Foundation Trust ‐ 2014
 Implementation of SAP Business One – 2015
 Patron, Youth Parliament – 2015
 EST Certified System Integrator – 2015
 Regular Sponsors of Fire and Safety Shows and Seminars; developing safety culture by
imparting awareness to our society
 Haseen Habib House – Under construction at Khayaban e Jami, DHA

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