Fire services director lays stress on safety measures

by SHAIKH JAMALUDDIN
Posted on 2009-05-10
PANAJI - The fire and emergency services director, Mr Ashok Menon has observed that with high rise buildings mushrooming in Goa the mission of the directorate of Goa fire and emergency services was not only to fight fire but to develop the directorate as a service provider.
Mr Menon told ‘The Navhind Times’ that the fire services directorate could only recommend measures on firefighting at high rise buildings. He said that often deaths occur due to smoke and not due to fire and added that the directorate has been conducting firefighting awareness programmes in these buildings.
Mr Menon observed that there has been a huge rise in high rise buildings in the town of Goa. In Panaji itself there are 160 high rise buildings, Margao has 110, Vasco has 45, Mapusa has 35 and Ponda has 23 high rise buildings.
He said occupants in the high-rise buildings should be equipped with evacuation drill guidelines otherwise they could encounter serious problems. A plan for orderly and systematic evacuation should be prepared and all the occupants should be trained to carry out such a plan. The fire and emergency services director observed that the vision of the directorate was to raise level of awareness on prevention and preparedness so as to minimise loss of life and property from fire and non-fire emergencies and to inculcate safety consciousness amongst the general public.
He said the mission of the directorate was to develop it as a service provider so as to reach out to the distressed people. This can be done by enhanced training to firefighters and educating the general public on how to prevent fire breakouts. Mr Menon informed that lack of sufficient staff in the fire prevention cell was hampering the awareness drive.
Informing that the directorate was modernising and giving face-lift to fire stations in the state in a phased manner, he said the government was providing sufficient funds from the Calamity Relief Funds for search and rescue equipment.
The fire personnel during the last financial year (April 2008 to March 2009) attended 3935 calls and saved property worth Rs 31.51 crore, he informed.