Fire brigade to induct third batch of women on March 1
Next time when you call Mumbai fire brigade control for help you should not be surprised if you see women firefighters landing up to you. Yes, you are right, Mumbai Fire Brigade(MFB) will soon induct women firefighters in large numbers for the first time in their team, who will be on field doing rescue operations.
Prabhat Rahangdale, the Chief Fire Officer(CFO) of MFB remarked this will be the third batch of women fire fighters who will be joining the team. “This time the induction will be in large number unlike earlier which was just six to ten. We are planning to take atleast 30 women firefighters in our team out of 97 on the basis of seniority and rank which are vacant. Also, more recruitment will be done depending on the requirement.”
Earlier, in 2008 only six women firefighters been inducted, while in 2017 merely 10 women firefighters joined. However, now with more vacant post in the department the women firefighters will get the opportunity.
CFO Rahangdale added the new batch of women firefighters are likely to join from March 1, 2018. They all have completed their training and ready for the job.
Like all government jobs, the fire service represents a challenging job along with an opportunity at making something of yourself in the big city. Therefore, the training which is done is also not an easy going task. It involves strong physical and mental strength to run at a gruelling 200m track, and then make a 19 feet-high leap from a drill tower to convince trainers to take a chance on you.
Also, the instructors make the firefighters to crawl blind through the unsettling new simulator, with a 13kg breathing apparatus unit on their back, through an obstacle course in a cage full of smoke, fighting back panic at the sound of falling buildings and lung-shrivelling heat, protecting the rescue dummy with your body. For the rest of their career, the firefighters putting others’ lives before their own. As the instructor puts it -’until your last breath’.
Rahangdale remarked it may seem like a simple job but it’s not. It requires a lot of strength to hold the fire hose and save lives that’s what our women firefighters will do.