City fire brigade officers get rescue vehicle training

A few days ago, the

fire brigade

at Vasai-Virar launched a new edition to their fleet – it was a

rescue vehicle

, especially meant for rescue operation and

flooding

in the monsoons. Since the vehicle has scuba equipment, an expert was also called in to guide them on it and the

training

took place at their premises recently.
Sushant Joshi,

scuba diving

instructor and rescue and training specialist, was called in for the same. He says, “The fire brigade launched the new vehicle a few days ago, it is a rescue truck with a raft and other equipment. It also has two sets of scuba equipment, comprising cylinders, BCD jackets, tanks and

masks

. I had done the demo for the scuba part. This is useful for those drowning incidents in lakes and quarries and of course, if in case of a boat sinking, so it is essential to have a sound expertise and get the know-how of the equipment.”
For the training on land, the officers were given an overview of the techniques to be used. “Scuba involves being able to deeper while breathing continuously. So, the participants were taught to assemble it and how don it. They picked up the knack easily; it was great to see them adapting to these new-age rescuing techniques,” he adds.