BHUBANESWAR: Governor SC Jamir on Saturday said there is need for fire services wing to shift from traditional fire response to deliver a wider range of emergency services which include road accident rescue, hazardous materials response, fire in multi-rises and evacuation during natural calamities.
Addressing the passing out parade of firemen here, he said, fire service is an important arm of the protective services in the State which needs to be well prepared and equipped to meet challenges of an ever evolving environment.
Jamir hailed the Odisha Fire Services for their relentless work during fire or natural calamities like Cyclone ‘Phailin’ and ‘Hud Hud’.
He exhorted the new recruits to exercise self-discipline and be committed to the vision, mission, principles and procedures of the service, as well as towards the people.
The Governor also acknowledged the work of the trainers of Odisha Fire Service Training Institute for their role in the making of successful firemen and foster fire fighting operations in the State. As many as 687 new recruits were inducted into the firefighter force of the State on the occasion.
The Governor also commissioned 194 new fire engines. Of these, 144 vehicles will be stationed at 72 new fire stations which have come up in different districts of the State while the rest will replace the older ones, sources said.
Addressing the gathering, Additional Director General Fire Services and Home Guards, M Nageshwar Rao said, “Our thrust lies in imparting best practices and state-of-the-art training to our personnel.”
Services of the firemen of the State has been acclaimed nationally for their contribution in restoration of Vizag after super-cyclone ‘Hud Hud’.
While the Director General, Civil Defence is studying Odisha’s model which integrates Fire Services, Home Guards and Civil Defence, Andhra Pradesh has mulled to emulate the same model, Rao added.