BRAHMAPURAM : A mother of four, Reeja Binu could easily have stayed home when smoke from the blaze at the Brahmapuram dump yard started enveloping Kochi. Instead, she and her husband, Binu, a businessman, joined the Civil Defence volunteers actively supporting Fire and Rescue Services officials in fighting the fire.
Besides Reeja, over 15 women, including doctors, private employees and housewives from across the state, are standing shoulder to shoulder with men and doing their part to put an end to the crisis. “I feel that it is my responsibility to do something for society. I am involved in support work, including keeping account of supplies and communicating with officials to understand their requirements. Some women are even engaged in the firefighting operations,” said Reeja, who is from Thevara.
Like Anu Chandrashekar, Binu Mithra, Smikesh, Vishal Suraj, Sreekanth CG, and Abilash EG, over 70 Civil Defence volunteers are supporting the firefighters. “We have volunteers from Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Palakkad. There are 6,000 volunteers registered with 18 fire stations in Ernakulam district alone. Of this, 3,000 have received training. Our main duty here is to support the firefighters. We are involved in fighting the fire, coordinating supplies, managing vehicular movement to the plant and preparing food,” said Anu Chandrasekhar, chief warden, Civil Defence, Ernakulam region.
Binu Mithra, an ex-serviceman, has been in Brahmapuram since last Thursday, when the fire first broke out. He is the Ernakulam district warden of the Civil Defence. “This is our second participation in a major firefighting operation after a similar incident at Brahmapuram a few years ago. None of our volunteers has complained of illness, thus far. They are working with gas masks, gloves, helmets and boots,” he said.
Akhil Raj had taken part in the 2021 fire operation after joining the group. “The fire keeps burning. We doused the fire in one sector in the morning. After the afternoon winds, the fire is back on. It has not been an easy task,” he said.
DRONES DEPLOYED TO SPOT FIRE
Brahmapuram: Drones, operated by Civil Defence volunteers, have been deployed to spot fire at the Brahmapuram plant, where firefighting operations have been under way for the past seven days. The input from the drone team is proving quite beneficial to the fire and rescue personnel on the ground. “Due to the smoke emanating from the garbage heaps, it is difficult to spot fires. The drones come in handy here. The volunteer who is operating the drone is an expert. He flies the drone all over the Brahmapuram plant, gathering key details. We then pass the input to firefighters,” said Anu Chandrashekar, regional warden, Civil Defence.