Just like Boman Irani’s character in the iconic Munnabhai MBBS, Priya Ravichandran, divisional officer-fire services, Central Chennai, believes that people in her line of service must be emotionally detached and advocates the same to her subordinates. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (1993-’96) from Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai, she went on to pursue her MA and MPhil in sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, from 1996-2000.
Her father inspired Priya to join the civil services. “More than the money and other perks, he used to always remind me that it is an honour to serve the country and your fellowmen,” she recalls. However, she defaulted at the UPSC’s final exam. But rather than rueing over her failure to crack the exam, Priya decided to prepare for TNPSC exams in 2001. “How long can you brood over something that wasn’t meant to happen,” reasons Priya, who is one of the
two women divisional officers in Tamil Nadu, which has the largest contingent of women fire officers in the country — eight.
She cleared the Group 1 exam the same year and was trained for eight months at the State Training Centre (STC), Chennai. Her first posting was as divisional officer at Nagapattinam in 2004. The four-month stint saw Priya attending to fire calls, inspecting buildings — she had to ensure if the buildings had ample exits corresponding to its population, proper ventilation, necessary and quality fire safety equipment have been fitted — and then issue a No Objection Certificate
and take care of her subordinates’ welfare.
In 2004 she was transferred to Coimbatore as divisional officer. In 2006, Priya was promoted as a trainer in STC, Chennai. “Here, I had the opportunity to pass on whatever little knowledge I had to the trainees,” she says. “I taught them about various kinds of fire tragedies and how each one is different from the other. We also stressed on the importance of creating awareness about averting fire and fire-related accidents. Most of them happen only due to human negligence.”
From 2008 to mid-2011, Priya was posted as South Chennai’s divisional officer. In a career where everything depends on instinct and on-the-spot decisions, Priya’s first rescue call accustomed her to what was in store. “A mandapam in Coimbatore had collapsed and seven people were trapped. By the time we reached, two had already died. We had to drill out the others to safety and also ensure our equipment didn’t harm the victims.”
Priya underwent a one-month training in the UK on dealing with special equipment in March. “As a fire officer, it’s important to know how to approach a building that's under a fire attack, the manpower and vehicles you will need for the rescue operation and first aid,” lists Priya. She goes on to add how small things like administering proper CPR and dressing a wound make a lot of difference during an accident situation. “A lot has changed in the way fire services operate nowadays. Earlier, you had to call for an ambulance separately. But now, it is dispatched along with a fire extinguisher vehicle. Life is valued more today,” says the officer.
As a woman officer, did Priya face any problems? “Though predominantly viewed as a male bastion, I feel I have crossed all the odds and am quite proud of myself — this is not a job where you can sit in a corner while a tragedy takes place and draw a plan and debate. It calls for a lot of spur-of-the-moment intelligence and I’m happy that my team and I have delivered on most occasions,” beams the 36-year-old.
Though not a regular at gyms, Priya says in a lighten vein that running behind her daughters — eight-year-old Samhitha and four-year-old Sathvika — keeps her in enviable shape. Acknowledging her family’s support, she says that even if she is not able to spend time with them during festivals and other auspicious occasions, they have grown to understand her need to honour her job’s commitments. Her husband Ravichandran is the city’s additional commissioner for IT.
— shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com