Odisha to set up fire stations at each block

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said the state government has decided to set up 335 fire stations with an objective to open at least one fire station in each block in the state.

He said this would be the highest amongst all states in the country.

“The state government has been making efforts to make fire service more accessible to our villages and also reduce the response time in case of any mishap. It has been decided to set up 335 fire stations with an objective to open at least one fire station in each block of our state,” said the Chief Minister attending a seminar on fire safety measures in high-rise buildings.

In addition to the existing 232 fire stations in the state,  steps are  being taken  to make  53  more fire stations operational in a year’s time, he added.

Informing that as many as 1042 firefighter drivers have been recently recruited to meet the additional manpower requirement, the Chief Minister said the government has also sanctioned three training institutes at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri to facilitate training and professional responsiveness in fire prevention and extinguishing, rescue and rehabilitation and combating water related accidents.

He said the government would modify the Odisha Fire Service Act soon for ensuring adequate precautionary measures required by owners and occupiers of buildings to prevent fire accidents.