Fire wing to get 5 hi-tech rescue, response vehicles

Vijayawada: Director general (fire services) K Satyanarayana said on Wednesday that the fire services department was purchasing five advanced rescue and response vehicles to take up rescue operations during disasters like fire accidents, floods, building collapses.

He said these new vehicles would be deployed in Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool, Tirupati and Vizag.The DG conducted a review with the fire officers of the 13 districts at the state head office and later spoke to newsmen.Satyanarayana said initially five rescue and response vehicles would be procured and some more would be purchased in the second phase so that each district get one vehicle in future.

He said the fire department was purchasing latest and sophisticated equipment and training was being imparted to the staff in all the districts to take up rescue operations effectively. Referring to filling of vacancies in the department, the DG said about 900 posts were lying vacant in fire services and disaster response department, which would be filled soon and a notification would be issued for the purpose.