THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The cops attached with three coastal police stations in Thiruvananthapuram district are set to receive advanced training in Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport officials. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard is expected to be signed between the police and airport authorities this week.
The police personnel attached to Poovar, Vizhinjam and Anchuthengu coastal police stations will be receiving the training to deal with contingencies arising out of aviation incidents. These three coastal stations fall under the aerodrome reference point of the Thiruvananthapuram Airport.
According to sources, physically fit cops of the three stations will be accorded training free of cost at the ARFF station that was set up last year in the airport. “A total of 100 police personnel are expected to attend the training programme,” said an airport source.
The state government has already sanctioned the state police chief to enter into an agreement with the airport authorities to impart training to its men. The source said they are planning two days of training for the cops. “One-day theory class followed by a day-long practical session. That’s how we are planning to design the programme. We already have a training module and that would be tweaked for the needs of the police,” the source added.
The ARFF training is crucial as it equips the personnel to deal with emergency situations, including fire outbreaks in aircraft. The training will give hands-on experience on how to evacuate passengers and crew from the aircraft in case of a potential fire outbreak.
Thiruvananthapuram Airport already has a state-of-the-art ARFF station that has been constructed as per the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Director General of Civil Aviation and category IX specifications of civil aviation requirements. A total of 96 specially trained aerodrome rescue and fire fighting personnel are currently available to manage round-the-clock operations.
“The training will be given in the ARFF station. Earlier, we had given training to the Fire and Rescue Services personnel on the same topic,” the source added.