KOZHIKODE: The Indian Army-led rescue of R Babu, 23, from a rock cleft in Kurumbachi hills near Malampuzha after nearly 45 hours on Wednesday was an eye-opener for the state government. Realising the urgent need for a trained and experienced team to handle similar rescue operations, including the ones that require mountaineering, the government has directed the fire and rescue services (FRS) and police departments to ready a list of qualified personnel suitable for the job.
Thirty-one highly-qualified and experienced officials from the FRS department, below 40 years, will be selected for advanced mountaineering and other rescue operation courses. After that, another batch of 30 or more personnel will be trained in the next phases. The training will include advanced and professional training in vertical and horizontal rope rescue, mountaineering, rock climbing, commando operations and others and will be provided at a national academy. These specialised rescue teams will then handle similar perilous missions in future.
Ensuring the availability of the equipment required to aid the qualified team – the vertical rope rescue system with all accessories, horizontal rope rescue system, protective gear like safety shoes, helmets and safety belts, strong ropes of varying lengths and other based on national and international standards – will also be considered, said a government source.
Meanwhile, sources in the police and FRS departments said there had been a delay in communicating to them the gravity of Babu’s situation. “There was also negligence in communicating to higher officials about the need for a force other than the FRS or police to handle the situation,” said a source.
Thrissur district fire officer Arun Baskher, who has led several rescue operations in the state, said though they are not as technically equipped as the Army or other Central force, their teams have proven the calibre by performing well in rescue operations across the state.
He said the situation in Babu’s incident was indeed tough and the department’s officers in Palakkad have been struggling due to lack of manpower and equipment to handle such operations. “We had recommended the state government to strengthen the existing team of firefighters in the state and help us lead similar incidents. We would at least want to try to initiate rescue operations before completely replying on others,” he said.