The local fire station here has been facing a difficult time due to a dearth of much needed vehicles. According to official sources, the fire station at Kendrapada has only two vehicles but it has to cater to the need of Kendrapada, Derabish and some parts of Pattmundai, Marshaghai and Mahakalapada blocks.
However, when there are mishaps simultaneously at several places, the ill-equipped fire station gets helpless.Assistant Fire Officer Sarat Chandra Mallick said the vehicles are outmoded with one being 22 years’ old and the other 16years’old. Most often, the vehicles face technical snags and fail to reach their destination on time. Even during exigency, the vehicles fail to reach on time as the drivers drive the vehicles at a slow pace fearing complete breakdown of the vehicles midway. Often the delaying fire tender personnel have to face the wrath of locals.
According to official sources, generally when a vehicle becomes 10-12 years’ old at the Fire department, it is cast off. The Assistant Fire Officer had written several letters to the higher- ups to provide two more vehicles to the fire station at Kendrapada but in vain.
The fire station of Kendrapada is located at Badamangala. The approach road connecting from main road to the fire station is in a bad shape.Though the concerned authority has several times urged the R&B department and the Municipality to do the repair work of the road, but nothing tangible has happened with the authorities having shut their eyes to the issue.
Another problem which the fire tender personnel face during the accident site at the NH-5(A) is that they do not have an ambulance. As a result, they use their vehicle for bringing the injured persons to the hospital. If sources are to be believed, every year, the fire tender personnel receive nearly 225 to 250 road mishap calls annually. In 2012-13, they received 275 accidents call whereas in last five months, it was about 125. The vehicle that they use for carrying the injured to the district head quarters hospital is not fit for carrying due to space constraint.
Though they have earlier demanded before the higher authority to provide an ambulance for attending road accident calls, but it is yet to be acquired by them, said official sources. If the problems are not sorted out in a war footing, then the people would fail to get timely aid from the fire tender personnel in coming days.