Over 85,000 people trained as ‘first respondents’ on fire safety in J&K

STATE TIMES NEWS

Jammu: More than 85,000 people have been trained as ‘first respondents’ about the fire safety, prevention and precautionary measures by the fire and emergency services department in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.
Total 640 schools, 300 hospitals and medical institutes were covered by the department under the department’s awareness programme, they said.
“We are spreading awareness among masses to prevent fire incidents and are focussing on first fire responders,” Alok Kumar, director at the fire and emergency service department, told PTI.
A first responder is a person with specialised training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance during emergency situations.
“More than 300 hospitals and medical institutions were covered under the awareness programme and more than 15,000 of their employees were trained,” he said, adding that in total 70,000 people were trained during the awareness drive.
There are 176 fire stations in the union territory, the official informed.
“As many as 5,813 fire incidents took place in 2022. This year, over 1,000 such incidents have taken place. The department is aiming to decrease the number of fire incidents through this programme”, the director said.
The administration is also strengthening the fire service department by upgrading its equipment and machines, he said.
“Recently we have inducted a turn table ladder (TTL). It had been brought from Finland and can access 14-storey buildings,” Kumar said. The department has also got cutters and machines for boring and drilling to deal with emergencies, he said.
Observing the fire safety day, the department on Friday remembered firemen who laid their lives while safeguarding the lives and property of the masses during rescue and fire-fighting missions.
According to officials, the department will launch various programs in the fire service week ending April 20 to spread awareness about fire prevention and precautionary measures.
These programs will also be organised at district levels, covering villages along with industrial organisations, educational institutes and hospitals among other establishments, Kumar added.