Civil Defence Dept keen to bring fire service into its fold

SHILLONG: The State Civil Defence and Home Guards Department is keen to bring the Meghalaya Fire and Emergency Services under its ambit.
Sources on Wednesday said the Fire and Emergency Services should be an integral part of the State Civil Defence and Home Guards since it is this department that looks after the relief and rescue operations during disasters, like landslides, floods, earthquakes and cyclone, while the Fire and Emergency Services only looks after fire incidents.
According to sources, though the matter is still at a nascent stage, the plan to integrate the Meghalaya Fire and    Emergency Service into the Civil Defence and Home Guards has been informally taken up at the level of the State and the Centre.
Sources said fund bifurcation would be easy if the integration takes place. Also, expenditure will be quite less and fund-efficiency will be quite easy if the plan materialises.
Sources also said that the Meghalaya Fire and Emergency Services have their infrastructure in different parts of the State and if the integration takes place, the department can use the existing facilities to develop bases in other parts of the state and those base camps can be activated in times of disasters.
It may be mentioned that the overall command and control of the Meghalaya Fire and Emergency Service Organisation is vested on the Additional Director General of Police (F&ES) Meghalaya, Shillong, who is assisted by the Superintendent of Police (F&ES) Meghalaya.
Sources said the State fire service usually remains busy for three months in a year, from February to April, when fire incidents are common, though fire incidents can occur any time. The Civil Defence and Home Guards Department also plays an active role during disasters, which can strike anytime.
The Meghalaya Fire and Emergency Service Organisation has 542 personnel in the Eastern Range and 326 in the Western Range. It was created in 1972 after the bifurcation of Assam.
At present, it is functioning with five fire stations, 29 sub-fire stations and two temporary fire camps in the State.