PANJIM, NOV 1
The Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services plans to have Satellite Fire Stations in state’s thickly populated tourism coastal belt so that the response time in the emergencies is reduced.
Director of Fire and Emergency services P K Menon said that efforts are on to acquire piece of land at Mobor and Morjim and Calangute-Candolim-Baga belt.
He said that being a coastal belt, it becomes difficult to get a space to put up station.
“I have already contacted the respective village panchayats asking to provide a suitable land for setting up of station,” Menon stated.
The director said that the stations will be permanently placed and not on temporary basis. “Being thickly populated areas and narrow roads, it becomes difficult for our fire vehicles to reach to the spot on time. Hence it as been decided to have one stations in each coastal belt,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the absence of stations at these places, the department will be purchasing two Quick Response Vehicles, a small fire tenders, carrying water-mist technology.
Under centrally sponsored scheme called ‘Strengthening of Fire Emergency Service in the Country’, the state fire department will be getting Rs 48 lakh, which will be utilized to purchase these vehicles.
“Now we are using natural water, which flows like a jet. But with water mist technology, we will be able to save the water,” Menon said.
These tankers will carry 300 litres of water and 50 litres of foam, which will be mixed and sprayed. “The water droplets as small as 250 to 400 microns would be sprayed through it,” he said.
Menon stated that these vehicles being small ones can traverse through narrow lanes of the coastal belt quickly and reach to the spot.
They will also be fitted with equipments like cutters so that the rescue operation can start without losing a time.
The vehicles will be used one each in North and South Goa district.
