Occupation: Leading fireman
“I joined the Fire and Rescue Services 18 years ago. One has to clear the Public Service Commission examinations; in my time, the basic qualification required was class X, now it is class XII. After selection, one undergoes a year’s training; these days it happens at the training academy in Thiruvananthapuram. In our time, training happened at any of the chosen stations. Training involved considerable physical exercises. Also, one was taught in detail about the fire engine, the plethora of equipments in it and how to handle them. It was followed by theory and drills. After six months of training, one gets posted as a trainee and gains practical experience watching seniors at work.”
I have spent most of my working years at Kozhikode. The moment we get a call about a fire, road or water accident or any other emergencies, we jot down the details — primarily the location and nature of emergency. Once that is done, we ring a long bell placed at our office. When the bell is rung, staffers know there is an emergency and we congregate here wearing our helmets and gum boots. The first vehicle that leaves the office is called the turn-out vehicle and in it would be an officer, a leading fireman, three firemen, a fireman driver and a couple of home guards. We also have a quick response vehicle, emergency vehicle and also a recovery one. So too, a Royal Enfield to access narrow roads. Now, we are also given hydraulic equipments as well as a scuba set.
In case, it is a fire accident, we start out with the fire engine which has a tank that can hold up to 3,500 litres and in its various side lockers are all the equipments we need — large hose, breaking equipments like axe and others. In case of fire, the first thing we do on reaching the site is to douse the fire spraying water and then begin rescue. The next step is to look at areas where it is likely to spread, remove all hazardous objects and turn off electricity. The major fire accident I have seen is the one at S.M. Street in 2007. I remember being at home after night duty and seeing the news on television. Almost immediately I got a call from office asking all of us to report for duty. By the time we reached, the major blasts were over. We extinguished the small fires and the major part of the mission was recovering bodies. If there are major accidents, all stations in the district come together to carry out joint operations.
We are also called in case of accidents and so too for rescue mission of any sort. Our job is a team effort. As we speak, a team is now at a school in Beypore. We were called after a tree fell on the building. We are also constantly called when there are instances of gas leak. In such cases, the moment we reach the spot, we evacuate people and turn off all supply lines. Then we continuously spray water to reduce the density of gas. The last accident in which we lost a fire personnel in Kerala was in a case of gas leak.
Of the cases I have dealt with, I distinctly remember one when a person was rescued from a well. He was part of the armed forces and had stepped into the well to clean it. While climbing up, he fell back. When we reached the scene at Karuvissery, he was lying in water. We got down and though he was not allowing us to touch him, placed him straight on a bench and brought him up. Days later, on a visit to the hospital, I met him. He was lying on a water bed. He held my hands and said the doctors told him that he was alive only because we chose to place him on a bench. He had suffered spine injuries and if he had been brought up any other way, it would have been disastrous.
People should always remember that we do not start until we receive a call. When an accident happens, people tend to think some one would have made a call. We should not take chances, everyone has a cell phone and they should just dial 101.
As told to P. ANIMA
A column on the men and women who make Kozhikode what it is.
