PANAJI: As a part of the State Disaster Response Force, 40 fire personnel have been trained in water flood rescue, said Ashok Menon, director of Fire and Emergency Services, adding the disaster response force will boost flood rescue operations in the state.
Menon, who was addressing the media along with trainer James Gordon Lavalley, who is an internationally qualified swift water flood expert for over forty years, said that 40 personnel have been trained by the Special Rescue Training Academy, Mumbai, in different techniques of flood rescue.
He said that the academy will also be training police and home guards soon. A live demonstration was shown at the Chorao jetty recently.
The academy is affiliated to the International Rescue Instruction Alliance (IRIA), Canada.
The forty personnel deputed for training were first tested for their swimming skills and thereafter given training in high risk rescue environment of swift water and floods.
The director of Fire and Emergency Services said that the 4th batch of swift water flood rescue training will commence under the watchful eyes of Lavalley.
He said that every two months there will be drills to test the skills of fire personnel.
He said that the directorate has been selecting suitable fire personnel and getting them trained in various aspects of disaster response such as urban search and rescue, medical first response, swift water flood rescue and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence.
The trained personnel will be deployed in different identified spots, well equipped to rescue people during floods or natural calamity. Before deputing the personnel to the spots were floods have occurred, the personnel will be imparted operational and technical skills.