It is responsible for the provision of fire protection as well as responding to building collapses, drownings, gas leakage, oil spillage, road and rail accidents, bird and animal rescues, fallen trees and taking appropriate action during natural disasters.

Bombay Fire Brigade was placed jointly under the control of the Government and the Municipality in 1865.

[8] The role and jurisdiction of the brigade are defined by the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act (2006),[9] which designates the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) as the local authority for meeting the needs of fire services in Mumbai.

[9] The MCGM is responsible, under Chapter XIV of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, for the following functions and duties:[10] The Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act (2006) further lays down that the MCGM, like other municipal authorities in Maharashtra, is responsible for monitoring preventive measures to secure fire safety, such as inspecting and licensing buildings, as well as conducting fire-fighting services.

[11] In 2019 the Mumbai Fire Brigade acquired a number of additional specialised tools and equipment, including a vehicle designed or fighting fires caused by biological, chemical, and other hazardous materials.

[11] Firemen also conduct a daily drill of one and a half hours, to practice and upgrade skills.

[22] The 2020-2021 allocation halves the Mumbai Fire Brigade's budget when compared to previous years, with the MCGM stating that the reason for reducing the budget was the under-utilisation of funds by the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

[24] The 2016 Standard Operation Procedure also establishes a five-level classification for fires, in order to determine the best response.

[24] On 14 April 1944 the freighter SS Fort Stikine, carrying a mixed cargo of cotton bales, gold and ammunition (including around 1,400 tons of explosives), caught fire and was destroyed in two giant blasts, scattering debris, sinking surrounding ships and setting fire to the surrounding area, killing around 800 people.

[7] On 26 November 2008, the Mumbai Fire Brigade was one of several emergency services that responded when armed terrorists attacked multiple sites in the south of Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal Hotel, Hotel Trident, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus, the Leopold Cafe, Nariman House, and Bade Miyan Gali.

In response to their service, the MCGM announced that it would present firemen with gallantry awards.

[29] The fire resulted in the deaths of three people, with fifteen more injured and a number of vital government documents and records destroyed.

[30] The Mumbai Fire Brigade and MCGM subsequently submitted a report indicating that the cause of the fire was related to the presence of highly-flammable materials, including LPG cylinders, on the upper floors of the building.

[32] On 14 August 2013, there were several ordnance explosions on board the INS Sindurakshak, a diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy that was docked at Mumbai.

On 18 July 2014, a fire broke at around 11 am at the 22-storey Lotus Business Park Building in Andheri (West).

About a dozen out of 30 firemen who had gone inside the building were trapped for hours on the rooftop, and Nitin Ivalekar, a 28-year-old fireman, died due to smoke inhalation.

[citation needed] On 29 December 2017, fires broke out at two restaurants, Mojo's Bistro and 1 Above, in a commercial shopping complex at Kamala Mills, resulting in the deaths of fourteen people and injuries to sixteen more, as well as extensive property damage.

[39] The report filed due to this investigation indicated multiple failures in observing fire safety regulations.

[41] On 22 July 2019, a fire broke out in the offices of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), a state-owned telecommunications service provider.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade deployed 160 employees grouped into a total of 32 teams throughout the city.