PANAJI
The Goa Fire and Emergency Services has no divers on its roster and this anomaly could soon be undone with the State government set to recruit some.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said two to four professional divers will be recruited for the Fire & Emergency Services to aid search and rescue operations during drowning emergencies.
Sawant made the statement at the launch of six new vehicles for the force on Monday. “We don’t have divers. We take them on call,” Sawant said, adding that the divers will be recruited on the department's rolls.
The lack of professional divers has impeded the force's rescue operations on several occasions in the past, most recently at Chimbel where an 18-year-old Mumbai youngster drowned in a stone quarry.
The victim's family had to locate and seek the help of private divers in that incident where precious time was lost in the rescue effort.
