Fire service boosts disaster response by inducting canine squad
Bhubaneswar: Odisha fire and emergency service expanded its capabilities on Saturday by inducting 10 dogs into its team for search and rescue operations during disasters.
The newly formed K9 squad consists of seven Labradors and three Belgian Shepherds, obtained from Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Alwar, Rajasthan. Selected personnel of fire and emergency service received training in handling these canines.
At present, the 3rd Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at Mundali in Cuttack uses their dogs for rescue missions in the state. The puppies, which were three months old when they were brought from SSB in March, are now undergoing training with NDRF’s 3rd Battalion. Upon completion of their two-month training, the dogs will be deployed at fire stations in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Angul, Rourkela, Berhampur, Koraput, Sambalpur and Balasore. Kennel buildings are being constructed at these places for their stay.
“These trained dogs will be valuable assets for us during emergencies such as earthquakes, landslides and building collapses. These specially trained rescue dogs are skilled at locating missing and trapped individuals following disasters, whether natural or artificial,” director general (fire and emergency service), Sudhanshu Sarangi, said.
According to officials, the dogs possess the ability to detect human scent and can locate people in various challenging conditions, including underwater, beneath snow and in collapsed structures.
Recently, the fire and emergency service introduced a remote-controlled robot to extinguish fires in Bhubaneswar. The robotic firefighter, recently purchased for Rs 1.71 crore, made its operational debut last week when firefighters and fire tenders failed to get inside a building to tackle a massive blaze in Satya Nagar here.
“The Centre and state govt have been taking steps to modernise the Odisha fire and emergency service, which is the first responder to any disaster in the state,” another official said.
Recently, the Centre approved Rs 201.10 crore for expanding and modernising the fire and emergency service, while the state govt set aside Rs 394 crore for upgrading the wing.
Disaster management became essential to fire service training following the 1999 Super Cyclone that claimed over 10,000 lives in the state.
The fire service wing assisted in various interstate operations, including the Oct 2014 Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh, Aug 2018 Kerala floods, Meghalaya mine rescue in Dec 2018, and Cyclone Amphan response in West Bengal in May 2020.
The newly formed K9 squad consists of seven Labradors and three Belgian Shepherds, obtained from Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Alwar, Rajasthan. Selected personnel of fire and emergency service received training in handling these canines.
At present, the 3rd Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at Mundali in Cuttack uses their dogs for rescue missions in the state. The puppies, which were three months old when they were brought from SSB in March, are now undergoing training with NDRF’s 3rd Battalion. Upon completion of their two-month training, the dogs will be deployed at fire stations in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Angul, Rourkela, Berhampur, Koraput, Sambalpur and Balasore. Kennel buildings are being constructed at these places for their stay.
“These trained dogs will be valuable assets for us during emergencies such as earthquakes, landslides and building collapses. These specially trained rescue dogs are skilled at locating missing and trapped individuals following disasters, whether natural or artificial,” director general (fire and emergency service), Sudhanshu Sarangi, said.
According to officials, the dogs possess the ability to detect human scent and can locate people in various challenging conditions, including underwater, beneath snow and in collapsed structures.
Recently, the fire and emergency service introduced a remote-controlled robot to extinguish fires in Bhubaneswar. The robotic firefighter, recently purchased for Rs 1.71 crore, made its operational debut last week when firefighters and fire tenders failed to get inside a building to tackle a massive blaze in Satya Nagar here.
“The Centre and state govt have been taking steps to modernise the Odisha fire and emergency service, which is the first responder to any disaster in the state,” another official said.
Recently, the Centre approved Rs 201.10 crore for expanding and modernising the fire and emergency service, while the state govt set aside Rs 394 crore for upgrading the wing.
Disaster management became essential to fire service training following the 1999 Super Cyclone that claimed over 10,000 lives in the state.
The fire service wing assisted in various interstate operations, including the Oct 2014 Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh, Aug 2018 Kerala floods, Meghalaya mine rescue in Dec 2018, and Cyclone Amphan response in West Bengal in May 2020.
