Kerala floods: Gujarat CMO directs fire dept to keep teams on standby for rescue ops

Additional Chief Fire Officer Rajesh Bhatt said, “We are waiting for the next order to move personnel and rescue equipment.”

According to Bhatt, this is the second major rescue operation initiated in the state since the 2008 Bihar floods.

“This time, 30 fire personnel making four teams with rescue equipment like life jackets and boats have been asked to keep ready,” Bhatt said.

Similarly, Surat Municipal commissioner M Thennarasan has also directed a team of 20 people, comprising fire officer Ishwar Patek and sub-fire officer Ramesh Sailor, along with 18 other officials to start preparations to leave for Ahmedabad as soon as directed.

The two teams will leave together for Kerala on the instructions of the state government.

Surat Fire officer Ishwar Patel said, “We have four rubber boats with engines fitted and ropes, safety belts and other important equipment. We are waiting for the instruction to start the journey to Ahmedabad and then to Kerala from there.”

According to an official of the AFES, similar teams from Rajkot and Vadodara have also been prepared. According to Rajkot chief fire officer Bhikha Theba, three teams comprising 20 firemen equipped with life jackets, life rings, inflatable boats etc are on standby. These teams, he said, will be ready to depart for Kerala within 10 minutes after government orders should their services be required.

From Vadodara, similarly, a team of 25 members with Om Jadeja as their commanding officer is on standby. All the teams have been directed to coordinate with the local administration in Kerala for rescue and relief work.