ALAPPUZHA: The first batch of women personnel of the Kerala Fire Force, comprising 82 members were appointed at district fire stations following six months of training at the Fire and Rescue Services Academy, Viyur.

Fifteen women were assigned to Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Ernakulam stations each, while five were allocated to other district units. One out of every five posts in the reserved appointment is designated for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe individuals. In units without this category, the number of women employees was limited to four. Additionally, they are required to complete six months of station training, which includes activities such as mountain climbing, 20 feet scuba diving and training in smoke rooms and rescue operations.

Left police to become part of history!

Women Fire Rescue Officers D. Swathikrishna, B. Anjali, NR Darshana and CV Sreena from the Alappuzha Fire Unit expressed that receiving training without segregation of men and women has boosted their confidence. They are the top four rankers in the district. However, one post remains vacant due to the absence of an SC candidate. Although three out of four individuals who joined the Alappuzha unit were previously in the police force, it was collectively decided that they should be part of the first female fire officer batch.