Bhubaneswar: April 19: Odisha Government will enhance the number of Fire Stations in the state this year. Addressing the 61st National Fire Service Week celebration on Tuesday, at the Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy premises in Baramunda area here, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said,’’we are adding 45 more Fire Stations to the existing list of 290 and in total 335 Fire Stations will function in the state of Odisha, which is highest in number among all the states in the country’.
There must be adequate protection and safety measures in the large number of high-rise apartments coming up in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and other cities to prevent fire through regular inspection and effective coordination between development authorities and the Fire Service department, the chief minister said.
Praising the commitment of the organisation, which has been renamed as ‘Fire and Emergency Services’, he said, not only in case of Fire, this department will be the first responder in other calamities also and this has been proved in Deogarh District two days back when a Bus plunged to 300 ft down from a Ghat. Fire Service personnel were among the first to reach the spot and start rescue operations.
While encouraging the personnel present there, he urges upon the members of Odisha Fire Service Department to do their best and render prompt service to the people of the state and extend supporting hand in times of distress and difficulty.
“Our government is committed to providing the best and state-of-the-art equipment for the Odisha Fire Services. I urge upon the members of the Odisha Fire Service department to do their best and render prompt service to the people of the state and and extend a supporting hand in times of distress and difficulty,”Patnaik said.
On the occasion, the chief minister dedicated three fire training institutes—the Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy in Bhubaneswar, the Fire Training Institute at Naraj in Cuttack and Watermanship Institute at Ramchandi in Puri—and said the state government will provide necessary staff for proper functioning of these institutes to provide high quality training.
