Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said 1,400 personnel would be recruited in the state fire and emergency services department through the Police Recruitment Board as part of efforts to strengthen the force.
Speaking at a programme on Red Road here, Adhikari said the recruitment would include 1,000 fire operators, 325 fire engine operator-cum-drivers and 75 sub-officers.
"We will fill up 1,400 posts through the Police Recruitment Board. This will include 1,000 fire operators, 325 fire engine operator-cum-drivers and 75 sub-officers," Adhikari said.
He also said 2,500 permanent posts would be created in the department within the next one year.
Referring to the two recent fire incidents at Tarapith and New Market lodges, Adhikari said there were fatalities in both the incidents, but the victims died due to suffocation caused by smoke and not because they were burnt.
"I am surprised the exit points of the buildings were locked to prevent boarders from leaving the facility without clearing the bills. They did not die of burns but of suffocation," he said.
Adhikari said fire service personnel had rescued 30 people at Tarapith and 80 at New Market.
He announced that the firefighters involved in both the rescue operations would be awarded medals.
At the programme, Adhikari flagged off 226 new firefighting vehicles and equipment.
The new fleet, procured for Rs 94 crore, comprises 198 mid-size water tenders with a capacity of 2.5 kilolitres, 25 water tenders with a capacity of six kilolitres and three 36-metre articulating water towers, a fire department official said.
The vehicles will be deployed at various fire stations, particularly in densely populated areas, markets, industrial zones and other important urban and semi-urban locations, he said.
The government is also strengthening fire-service infrastructure, with 23 new fire stations currently under construction and 10 additional projects announced in the state Budget, he added.
The modernisation programme includes the planned induction of firefighting robots, drones, hydraulic platforms and advanced communication systems, besides procurement of other firefighting and emergency-response equipment, he elaborated.
The state government also announced welfare measures for fire-service personnel, including an allowance equivalent to 26 days' pay annually for permanent frontline personnel and a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 for contractual Auxiliary Fire Operators, he said.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
