Fire force shifts gears, plans rescue in 5 meters

KOCHI: Worried over rising road accidents in the city over the last eight years, the city fire and rescue wing has decided to initiate a novel project in association with the city police to ensure that the rescue team reaches an accident spot within five minutes to save the lives of victims.
A total of 19,012 accident cases have been reported in the last eight years in the city.While 1,336 persons have been killed in road accidents, the number of grievously injured stood at 12,039.
"Currently, due to heavy traffic, our vehicles cannot reach an accident spot in time to rescue victims and shift them to hospitals. So, we are devising a plan by which rescue vehicles can deployed at key spots during peak hours and reach accident spots within minutes," said Ernakulam fire and rescue divisional officer Joe Kuruvilla Esow.
He said they would discuss the project with the city police. The department is planning to deploy a vehicle each at Kaloor, Palarivattom, Edappally and Vytilla. "These vehicles will have equipment such as gas cutters and power drillers to carry out rescue work," the officer said.
Kochi range inspector general K Padmakumar said the police would provide all necessary support for the proposal mooted by the fire and rescue wing. "It is a good proposal. If rescue vehicles can reach accident spots in time, we will be able to save more lives," he added.
City traffic assistant commissioner K S Baby Vinod said the spots for deploying rescue vehicles would be decided after the fire department holds discussions with the police. "There are certain areas in the city where rescue vehicles cannot reach in time. We will suggest the department to deploy a vehicle at Marine Drive as it is one of the key spots from where vehicles move to areas in Goshree islands, Vaduthala, north and MG Road," the officer added.
As per the latest road accident data provided by the police, the maximum number of road accidents is reported between 7am and 11pm in the state. In 2012, 1,698 accidents have been reported during the daytime and 582 accidents at night in Kochi city.
Fear factor
* A total of 19,012 accident cases have been reported in the last eight years in the city
* While 1,336 persons have been killed in road accidents, the number of grievously injured stood at 12,039
* Maximum number of road accidents is reported between 7am and 11pm in the state
* In 2012, 1,698 accidents have been reported during the daytime and 582 accidents at night in Kochi city