In Ernakulam, civil defence force volunteers all geared up to support fire force

The district now has over 4,600 civil defence volunteers with a minimum of 50 volunteers in each fire station

With untimely heavy rain lashing the State, the Fire and Rescue Services Department has mobilised its civil defence volunteers across all 18 fire stations in Ernakulam district for support during emergencies.

At any given point of time, 180 to 200 trained volunteers remain ready for action across the district. Another 300 to 400 well-trained volunteers also remain on standby to swing into action, depending on the gravity of the situation. The activities of the civil defence force in the district are being coordinated by District Fire Officer A.S. Jogy.

“Our volunteers remain part of the rapid response teams formed in all fire stations in the wake of the release of water from the reservoirs. In fact, we have mobilised two types of volunteers – ones who can serve locally and the others ready to be deployed outside the district. The 21-member fire force team from the district deployed at Kokkayar in Idukki had 21 of our volunteers,” said Binu Mitran, Ernakulam Divisional Warden, Civil Defence.