The Hindu : Kerala News : Firemen seek basic facilities

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Friday, Apr 13, 2007
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Kerala

Firemen seek basic facilities

K.S. Sudhi

Chief Minister's announcement that helicopters would be purchased for emergency and rescue operations fails to enthuse firemen.

KOCHI: The Chief Minister's announcement that helicopters would be purchased for emergency and rescue operations has failed to enthuse firemen of the State.

They say that their priority is to improve the basic facilities for fire fighting and rescue operations. As the country is all set to observe the Fire Force Week starting April 14, the shortage of men and machines is hampering the functioning of the Fire and Rescue Services Department.

At the receiving end

Moreover, the firemen are increasingly finding themselves at the receiving end these days, as they are unable to live up to the expectations of the general public. Blame it on the successive Governments, which have failed to provide necessary support for the department. And it would be the firemen who are assigned the task of rescue operations who have to bear the brunt of the public fury."We are not provided helmets, head lamps and boots. At the site of Thattekad boat tragedy, the rescue operations were affected as we did not have a portable generator," says an official.

The rescuers, who are expected to perform in difficult situations like rescue operations from wells, are not even provided with the modern breathing apparatus, he says. The two snorkel fire tenders at the District Head Quarters at Gandhi Nagar, which have hydraulic platforms, are more than a quarter century old. Though it is time to decommission them, the department is still using them. It is a risky business for the firemen to work with these machines, say another official.

Every accident, be it a fire or a natural disaster, exposes the vulnerability of the department in dealing with emergency situations.

The department is in dire need of vehicles like ambulances, mini tenders and those with side lifts. Mini tenders are required for entering the narrow roads and lanes like that of Mattanchery where the normal fire tenders cannot enter. But no efforts are being made to buy the necessary vehicles for the department.

When it comes to chemical accidents, the department is as helpless as man on the street. They need to fight such accidents with water jets and foams.

Though high quality foam compounds are available in the market, the department is still buying the cheap ones, which produce small quantities of foam. Dry Chemical Powder tenders are also required for dealing with emergency situations, a senior official says.

Manpower shortage

After the last wage revision of the Government officials, the shortage of officials has become acute in the department.

The basic pay of the firemen, which was earlier equivalent to that of a police constable, fell short by Rs.1,000 after the revision. There is also great demand abroad for officials who have undergone training at the National Fire Service, Nagpur.

A large number of officials from the department have sought employment abroad. Considering the gravity of the situation, the State Government issued a notification in February stating that Leave Without Allowance will not be sanctioned for firemen for taking up employment abroad. The employees have also been demanding the formation of Fire Service Manual for streamlining the functioning of the department, revision of the recruitment and training process and salary.

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