Govt plans to equip FSCD to face probable earthquake
Saturday, 1 August 2009
The government is planning to build the capacity of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate (FSCDD) with modern fire fighting apparatuses to deal with any probable earthquake as experts expressed their apprehension of earthquakes in the country, reports BSS.
A project earmarking Tk 1.62 billion (162 crore) is now under process of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the venture is expected to take off shortly, Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, Director General (DG) of FSCDD told the news agency.
The FSCDD, of late, carried out a vulnerability assessment of Dhaka City in which some pockets were identified as most vulnerable to earthquake, he said adding that at a time 20,000 firefighters will be kept ready for rescue activities in case of any earthquake.
For instance, the FSCDD DG said, two-thirds of the establishments located in the old part of the city is likely to be badly damaged by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale.
If and when disaster strikes, a number of teams will enter the damaged areas to evacuate victims within 24 hours of the occurrence have been suggested in the plan.
Probable building collapse coupled with the city's haphazard gas supply network posed multifarious menace, he said. The gas network is maintained in such a way that a pipe explosion, caused by an earthquake, could claim thousands of lives, he said.
Referring to a High Court verdict which directed the government to procure necessary equipment in case of any earthquake, he said several items of rescue equipment which were badly needed to conduct rescue operation will be purchased.
The equipment included 170-foot turntable ladders, six 88- foot snorkels (tubes used for breathing), 20 high hydraulic-power breakdown vans with power units, eight emergency tenders with lighting units, six chemical tender for putting out fire, six bulldozers, six crush tenders (to put out fire from oil) and six 11,000-litre water tenders, search camera (thermal imaging), gas detectors, air blower (oxygen) and water tenders.
As part of the earthquake preparations, he said, preparations are underway to set up a planned 25-bed special hospital with a burn unit.
A community-level volunteers training programme is being executed in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet city corporations. Under the training programme, around 62,000 volunteers will be trained into three groups---search, rescue and evacuation after the three-year project comes to an end.
A project earmarking Tk 1.62 billion (162 crore) is now under process of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the venture is expected to take off shortly, Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, Director General (DG) of FSCDD told the news agency.
The FSCDD, of late, carried out a vulnerability assessment of Dhaka City in which some pockets were identified as most vulnerable to earthquake, he said adding that at a time 20,000 firefighters will be kept ready for rescue activities in case of any earthquake.
For instance, the FSCDD DG said, two-thirds of the establishments located in the old part of the city is likely to be badly damaged by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale.
If and when disaster strikes, a number of teams will enter the damaged areas to evacuate victims within 24 hours of the occurrence have been suggested in the plan.
Probable building collapse coupled with the city's haphazard gas supply network posed multifarious menace, he said. The gas network is maintained in such a way that a pipe explosion, caused by an earthquake, could claim thousands of lives, he said.
Referring to a High Court verdict which directed the government to procure necessary equipment in case of any earthquake, he said several items of rescue equipment which were badly needed to conduct rescue operation will be purchased.
The equipment included 170-foot turntable ladders, six 88- foot snorkels (tubes used for breathing), 20 high hydraulic-power breakdown vans with power units, eight emergency tenders with lighting units, six chemical tender for putting out fire, six bulldozers, six crush tenders (to put out fire from oil) and six 11,000-litre water tenders, search camera (thermal imaging), gas detectors, air blower (oxygen) and water tenders.
As part of the earthquake preparations, he said, preparations are underway to set up a planned 25-bed special hospital with a burn unit.
A community-level volunteers training programme is being executed in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet city corporations. Under the training programme, around 62,000 volunteers will be trained into three groups---search, rescue and evacuation after the three-year project comes to an end.