Bhubaneswar: The State Government will soon form Striking Fire Force for quick response during fire mishaps and natural calamities.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved a proposal in this regard after a thorough deliberation with senior officials.
The 144-member Striking Fire Force equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets and modern equipment will ensure speedy rescue operations during various disasters, particularly fire mishaps.
As per the decision taken at a meeting, there will be three range headquarters of the Striking Fire Force in Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur zones of the state. For each range headquarters, 48 posts will be created and the force will have a total of 144 officers and personnel.
It was decided that the new force will be equipped with modern gadgets and state-of-the-art equipment and impart new skills to make it efficient.
The force will have Assistant Fire Officers, Station Officers, Assistant Station Officers, Havildar Major, Driver Havildar, Havildar Mechanic, Leading firemen, Fireman Driver and Firemen.
The striking fire force will also play a crucial role in relief and rescue operations. During natural calamities, man-made disasters and accidents, the Odisha Fire Service organisation has been acting as a ‘First Responder’ to provide quick and efficient service to the people. Significant assistance is also being extended by the Fire Service during natural calamities outside the state.
Therefore, the need for a special force equipped with modern skills and gadgets to effectively tackle any calamity was highlighted at the meeting.
The meeting was moderated by Secretary to the Chief Minister (5T) VK Pandian, while Director General of Police, Fire Services, Santosh Upadhyay gave a detailed account of the proposal for the new force.