Learning to deal with disasters
Firefighters are trained to handle any type of disaster. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish
WHEN THE engine of the 5635 Okha-Guwahati Express bound for the Assam capital on March 14 caught fire, three young passengers on board knew exactly how to respond.
As the driver stopped the train at Sahrihaat station between Barauni and Patna junctions in Bihar, the youth — Pratik Shobhan Bhattacharjee, Rajarshi Bhattacharjee and Shibraj Brahmin — rushed to the engine to tackle the fire that had already spread to a front bogie.
They separated the fire-engulfed engine and a bogie from the train, with the help of thelocal people. They then began to douse the flames. The fire was controlled even before the fire-tenders reached the spot. The youngsters were students of the Ahmedabad-based College of Fire Technology, which trains candidates to specialise in fire-fighting and rescue operations. The burning train put to a real life test the lessons learnt during the three-year B.Sc. (Fire) degree course awarded by the Gujarat University.
The college located on a 40-acre campus in Khoda village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, is one of the few centres in the country offering a comprehensive curriculum in fire and disaster management and perhaps the only one providing modernised training modules. Students are exposed to the core principles of fire-fighting, safety, protection, engineering and disaster management.
AutoCAD training, personality development workshops, practical classes in dealing with hot fires and interaction with fire experts are integral to the course, which is open to Plus-Two students.
The college has also established a job placement cell for fire graduates. Several students of the first batch of 60 students that passed out of the institution last year have got placements as fire officers in corporate firms, government departments and overseas oil companies or as army firemen and fire brigade personnel.
"The demand for qualified fire officers and firemen will increase exponentially in the coming years," forecasts Gnanesh Bhagat, managing trustee of the Champaben Bhagat Education Trust, which runs the institution.
It is not only fire incidents, but virtually any type of disaster qualifies for the job profile of a fire brigade professional. The constitution of state-level disaster management committees will also increase the job potential of young fire graduates, Mr. Bhagat says. The course fee of Rs. 50,000 per annum makes the programme affordable to more students, he adds.
The training includes a three-month internship in an organisation during which the candidate prepares a project on fire safety design.
Laboratory experience and hands-on training in high-rise rescue operations are part of the learning process.
The college is also the training centre for the one-year Fireman course (Rs. 28,000) and the ITI Safety and Security Course (Rs. 20,000).
At present, the college has on roll 350 students pursuing the three disciplines.
The entry-level pay for firemen is around Rs. 4,500 while that of fire officers is around Rs. 7,000.
Applications for the 2005-06 batches have opened.
For details contact, Shilpa Trivedi, PRO, College of Fire Technology, (Tel: (079) 26584080, 26587009) or E mail: info@collegeoffiretechnology.com
M. Dinesh Varma
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