The Goan: The monsoon with all its fury is expected soon. Are you comfortable with the size and shape of your force to face the challenges?
Nitin Raiker: Of course. Besides, irrespective of our condition, we have to be first at the spot wherever we are needed and we are ready. We are the first responders to any call.
As for the size of my force, we are a bit short. A recruitment process we had started last year got frozen because of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in February, although it was completed in all respects -- physical fitness test, written test, compiling results. The matter is before the government and hopefully, we will get the personnel soon.
TG: How is your armoury looking like. Do you have enough equipment, tools and safety gear, and is it in shape?
NR: Fire vehicles, electric chainsaws, hydraulics operated tools, concrete cutting tools, pneumatic jack etc are some of the tools we have in our armoury in good shape and supply. We also have fibre boats and inflatable rubber boats to operate in floods and other aquatic conditions.
This is how it works. We are the first responders for all calls and reach the site of any emergency first. Our men then assess the physical situation on the ground and report it to the Collector, who heads the Disaster Management Authority in the district. Accordingly, whether there is a landslide or any other major physical damage, the collector takes a call and ropes in the other agencies like PWD or WRD with their heavy machinery including earthmovers. Sometimes the local body, either the panchayat or municipality is also roped in. In the meanwhile, my force is already on the job rescuing people in trouble, if any, and readying the site for further restoration operations with our equipment.
TG: What are the most common emergencies you are called to attend during the monsoon?
NR: Uprooting of trees/branches or these collapsing on houses and roads disrupting normal life is the most common. Then we have landslides, mostly in the hilly regions and especially in the Chorla Ghats. Locales getting flooded, homes being marooned and instances of drowning SOSs are also frequent during the rains.
We have sufficient equipment and tools to manage the calls of fallen trees. In the case of landslides, we are at the site first and then the Collector summons PWD, WRD and others who come with their heavy machinery like cranes and earthmovers.
In flood situations, it's the fire force that gets into action immediately. We use our fibre boats and also the inflatable ones, although the former is more user-friendly as the inflatable boats are susceptible to damage by rats in storage and punctures render them useless. We also have high-density polyethylene boats.
TG: Can you give us a picture of the number of fire stations you have, and how are they logistically integrated to manage the length and breadth of Goa?
NR: We have 17 fire stations in all, two of these have been added in the last one year -- Porvorim in 2021 and Cuncolim in February this year. All these fire stations are fully equipped and continuously serviced for spares from the headquarters.
Operationally these fire stations are divided into the Northern, Southern and Central zones. The central zone takes care of the Valpoi, Bicholim and Ponda areas. The rest of the areas in the North and South district are serviced by stations in the northern and southern zone, respectively. There is 100 per cent coordination between each of these fire stations and also the headquarters.
We hold meetings every first Friday of the month where officers in-charge of all the Fire Stations attend and deliberate the issue of coordination. They also replenish their equipment with spares from the HQ stores at these review meetings.
The challenge in the monsoon season for us is to also simultaneously handle other routine calls. Accidental fires and other emergencies do not take a holiday during these monsoon months. We continue to get these routine calls and the challenge is to attend to them even as our personnel are engaged with monsoon-related responses.
TG: What about your training? Any specialised training modules you have adopted?
NR: Our training regimens are regularly updated and we conduct training routinely at the headquarters in Panaji. Concerning the monsoon, we have had our meetings jointly with other agencies and oriented our force to be fire-fighting ready.
