Teachers in Goa’s schools will now be fire fighters without khaki uniform, trained in safety and evacuation of students and other staff in case of emergencies.
Goa Fire and Emergency Services has decided to train 1200-odd teachers pulled in from schools in ‘basic fire safety and evacuation drill process for educational institute’ from this November.
“We will teach two teachers from each school, who will know to respond to the situation before fire fighters arrive,” Fire Services Director Ashok Menon.
The programme, which will begin from November 9, would be held at three centres Panjim, Margao and Ponda.
The director said that Directorate of Education has responded very well to our proposal.
“Teachers from primary to college level will be trained in this programme,” he stated.
The response for the programme from teachers was also ‘tremendous.’ Till date, department has got response from 484 teachers from Panjim, 436 from Ponda and 303 from Margao, who would be trained at one-and-half-month-long programme concluding on December 21, 2010.
The training will have multiple effects; Menon said adding that once they are back in their schools, the teachers will train other colleagues and students.
Menon said that the department wants that schools should be prepared in case of any emergencies.
After their training, the trained teachers will have evacuation drill in schools so that if tragedy strikes, the response comes quick.
To increase fire safety in the State, the Fire Department also wants to go a step ahead and reach out to the grass root level people including homemakers (housewives) educating them about fire safety.
Menon said that a mobile van equipped with gadgets like LCD projector, simulator, fire extinguishers and others will go to each and every village panchayat, training and creating awareness about the fire safety from households to business.
“The number of fire incidents at the rural level is much less. But it is better to get prepared even for a small incident that can occur at one’s house,” the director stated.
The mobile van, which will be funded by Central Government, will include specialist fire fighting team along with petroleum product like LPG, moving in all 182 village panchayats.
“This project will aim at training, creating awareness and prevention during fire and other emergencies,” Menon said adding that the project will kick off in 2011.
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