Pune Gets 100 Young Fire Marshals during National Fire Service Week
At the launch of National Fire Service Week, Safe Kids Foundation and Pune Fire Department announced that 100 volunteers, including students and teachers to be inducted as fire marshals, called Agni Surakhsa Mitras, to help deal with fire emergencies. These volunteers are being fully trained in fire safety procedures and will complete the Safe Kids at Home fire safety program.
Funded by a Honeywell India grant, Safe Kids at Home is a home safety program to help prevent and reduce burns and scalds among children under 14 years old, in Pune. The program uses cutting-edge, experiential and fun educational tools targeted at different age groups, to reach 425,000 children and 250,000 parents by 2018.
Introducing the first batch of volunteers, Mr. Prashant Ranpise, Chief Fire Officer, Pune Fire Department, said, “With ‘Firemen – your our partner for saving life and property’ as its theme, this year’s Fire Service Week rightfully focuses on firemen. Our firefighters risk their lives to battle fires, and the addition of 100 Agni Suraksha Mitras will not only bolster our workforce, but will inspire the youth to work alongside us, or even join us.”
Mr. Kiran Gawade, Chief Fire Officer, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), said, “I am delighted that this year, PCMC is partnering with Pune Fire Department and Safe Kids Foundation to take the awareness drive to a larger section of the city’s people. As a region contiguous to Pune Municipal Corporation, it is only natural that this program be taken to PCMC as well. This will definitely help to boost up the morale and fire safety awareness in public of this fast developing twin city”
Dr. Cinthia Pinto, Program Director, Safe Kids Foundation, said, “Training students as Agni Suraksha Mitras is a unique step towards transforming Pune into a safer city for our children. We are thankful to the Pune and PCMC fire departments for their support, and we are happy to partner with them in the awareness drive planned through the National Fire Service Week.”
A citywide awareness drive has been planned as part of National Fire Service Week from April 14 – 20. Fire safety messages will be displayed at prominent public places, including hospitals, Pune railway and bus stations, malls and multiplexes. Several rallies, street plays, community awareness drives, exhibitions and distribution of pamphlets will educate citizens about fire hazards and preventive measures.
Mr. Vikas Chadha, President, Honeywell India, said, “At Honeywell, we have decades of experience in developing and deploying technologies that keep families safe and secure wherever they live and work. Through our partnership with Safe Kids Foundation, we aspire to make Pune model safe kids at home city.”
National Fire Service Week is observed every year in remembrance of fire service personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and serves to raise public awareness on fire safety.
About Safe Kids Foundation
Safe Kids Foundation became a member of Safe Kids Worldwide in 2006 and works in close collaboration with Safe Kids Worldwide to improve the lives of children in India. Safe Kids Foundation works with non-profit organizations, governments and schools to promote awareness and teach that accidental deaths and injuries are preventable. Safe Kids Foundation has done extensive and commendable work in the field of road safety. Safe Kids’ ‘Walk This Way’ pedestrian safety program, sponsored by FedEx, was launched in Mumbai in 2007 to address pedestrian-related injuries to children. The program has expanded to two additional cities, Delhi in 2009 and Ahmedabad in 2010. From 2007 through 2016, more than 3000 schools and nearly 4.5 million children have been reached through education activities, playing a critical role in improving road safety for children in these cities. ’Safe Kids at Home’ program, sponsored by Honeywell was launched in Pune, in November 2015, to ensure the safety of children, particularly in Pune, from the dangers of burns and scalds. The program aims to cover 425,000 children and 250,000 parents by 2018.
For more information, refer to www.safekidsfoundation.org.
