The Curchorem fire station has been attracting interest since it was inaugurated on August 16 and this appeal has nothing to do with the new fire station building.
At the centre of attraction is a state-of-art Rs 1.4 crore Emergency Rescue Tender (ERT), the first vehicle of its kind in the State which is equipped with advanced technology to tackle various incidents in the region.
The State government had felt the need for an advanced ERT after the Canacona building tragedy, since existing technology in the State had been found woefully inadequate to tackle a major emergency. The ERT was eventually sent to the Curchorem fire station, given the strategic location of Curchorem.
Located in close proximity to various major towns, including Sanvordem, Quepem, Sanguem, Cuncolim and Canacona, the ERT would be in a strategic position to cater to rescue operations in the six talukas of Sanguem, Quepem, Canacona, Salcete, Dharbandora and Ponda. What also added to Curchorem’s prominence is that the town located in the heart of a mining region in the State.
During the inauguration of the fire station on August 16, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had stated that authorities were ill-equipped to handle emergency cases, especially after the Canacona building collapse in January.
“We do not have the required equipment and since this is a mining belt, where any casualty can take place any time, I have given one ERT with all modern required accessories, most of which have been imported,” Parrikar had said.
Curchorem MLA and GIDC Chairman Nilesh Cabral told Herald that the State government had agreed to his request to allot the first-of-its-kind ERT to Curchorem, following the tragic building collapse at Canacona in January.
“I took the initiative to bring the ERT with the advanced technology to provide better and faster services to the people not only from my constituency but also for other nearing talukas, so that citizens should not face any difficulties due to lack of equipment.”
“What happened in Canacona was tragic and what made the situation worse was the absence of any mechanism for immediate relief.”
“Based on that experience, I asked my GTDC officials and the director of Fire and Emergency Services Ashok Menon to search the internet and identify those gadgets, not present in Goa, which could help us undertake rescue work in the quickest possible time in case of any eventuality,” said Cabral.
Curchorem Station Fire Officer (SFO) Deelip Gawas told Herald stated that five fire fighters along with one officer and a driver can be accommodated in the ERT.
“The ERT was fitted with all imported fire and emergency equipment in Pune and our fire fighters are now being trained in the operation of the new equipment and gadgets,” said Gawas.
