The Fire and Rescue Services Department is all set to bolster its community rescue volunteer force and train them to be the first line of defence during emergencies in the district.
Ernakulam has around 1,300 community volunteers who came in handy during the floods in August last year.
“The district has one of the largest contingents of community volunteers with some fire stations accounting for 150 to 300 volunteers within their limits.
“A district-level committee has been formed to further bolster that force and give it continuous monthly training in batches at the respective fire stations,” A.S. Jogy, District Fire Officer, told The Hindu. Plans are also afoot to form fire station-level WhatsApp groups to facilitate flow of information and mobilise volunteers during emergencies. Some stations have already formed such groups.
The volunteers will be imparted training in first aid, operation of basic fire fighting equipment, and familiarisation with fire tenders and equipment used therein, thus giving them a sense of how they can be of help to fire and rescue personnel at a disaster site.
Inspection
Training activities may gather momentum once the department’s inspection of buildings to detect fire safety violations across the State concludes by March 15.
“Initial rescue work done in a meaningful and disciplined manner can help the fire fighting force in reaching disaster sites a great deal. Besides, their thorough knowledge of the locality can prove critical. Apart from knowledge about the terrain, they will be able to share information about local sources from where we could source equipment, for instance, like an earthmover in the event of a landslide,” said Mr. Jogy.
A meeting held at the headquarters of the Fire and Rescue Services Department in Thiruvananthapuram last month had emphasised the significance of promoting community rescue volunteer schemes.
It was decided to identify and train community rescue volunteers both in residential and industrial areas, and the District Fire Officers were instructed to submit reports by the 5th of every month.