The Directorate also signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chicago based safety consultancy firm Underwriters Laboratories (India) Ltd to conduct fire safety awareness through primary schools across Goa in association with department of education.
This is the first time in India this fire safety company is offering a helping hand with the fire department to create awareness in Goa. Underwriters Laboratories will shortly start the two-month training before the beginning of the next academic year. There are approximately 2000-odd schools in Goa and from each school two teachers will be selected for training. “Each school will have two trained teachers who will in turn train the primary students aged between 5 and 10. We are getting very positive support from the department of education and fire services,” said R A Venkitachakam, vice president, Public Safety Mission of Underwriters Laboratories.
Underwriters Laboratories is expecting to finish the training of teachers by June end this year and complete the major portion of fire safety by the end of 2015. “It will be a continuous process, not only this coming academic year, but the awareness campaign ‘Safer School, Safer India’ will be conducted every academic year, this is the just beginning,” Venkitachalam said.
Underwriters Laboratories will provide training material for the awareness campaign and the other expenses will be borne by fire and education departments, Venkitachalam said.
The programme will help to raise the level of safety consciousness among school students in particular and the public in general, ensuring increased prevention and preparedness to minimize loss of Life and property in the State from fire and non-fire emergencies.
“Fire safety awareness and sensitization through younger generation is a good initiative of the fire department,” Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar said, after launching the campaign.
