Goemkarponn desk
VASCO: Vasco and Verna Fire station staff are on their toes due to the numerous emergency calls ranging from tree uprooting landslides to rescue operations.
Francisco Mendes, Vasco Fire station in charge, said if landslides happen, then we call up PWD, and they clear the landslide issues. If there are any emergencies related to tree uprooting, fire accident etc, then we attend to them.
When asked whether they had enough machinery and man force to handle the emergency situation, he said “we have a sufficient number of people and the additional equipment also going to come soon.”
Mendes also informed that since Monday, the Vasco fire station has received 5 emergency calls about tree uprooting. We managed to clear these emergency calls.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, the Vasco fire station received an emergency call of a tree uprooting and a boulder sliding down. Mendes, along with his other staff, rushed along with his emergency vehicle to Vaddem opposite Goa Shipyard, where the incident had taken place and inspected the site.
He also inquired with the locals and warned them to be cautious. Mendes also informed them that the south Goa Collector has ordered to build 150 metres retaining wall, which will be built soon.
Meanwhile, the Verna fire station staff are also doing their best to help the people in distress. Recently the team of Verna fire station cleared the Verna-Loutolim bypass road, which was blocked for a short time due to the landslide and two boulders which rolled down on the road. The mud and the boulders were cleared by the Verna Firefighters.
Similarly, three days back, Verna Fire station staff managed to save two lives, one of an elderly woman and a buffalo which fell in the well in two different incidences.
When contacted, Dilip Bicholkar, Verna Fire station in charge, informed that from July 1 till date, a total of 31 calls were attended by their staff. There were four major calls on July 4 and 5. These calls were related to the tree uproot which were cleared’ he said.