Kozhikode: A team of 70 civil defence volunteers under the Department of Fire and Rescue Service are on guard at all the venues of the 61st Kerala School Kalolsavam in Kozhikode, offering services to students and others.

“At least two members, including women, have been posted at every festival venue. What we do is purely a voluntary service. We do not expect anything in return,” said Shaji, a civil defence volunteer.

Shaji and others are part of the civil defence teams, which were launched by the Kerala fireforce to provide immediate assistance during natural disasters and carry out life-saving missions.

“It was after the 2018 floods that the state government felt the need to formulate such a team to aid the fire force. The aim is to save lives and reduce the impact of disasters on life and property as much as possible,” said Prashob, a civil defence volunteer on duty at the Kalolsavam venue.

The volunteers have been selected on the basis of their applications at fire stations and later provided training at the station, district and state levels.

“In case of accidents, many a time lives are lost due to lack of awareness in handling the situation properly and inappropriate ways of transporting victims to nearest hospitals. We have been trained to avoid such situations and offer necessary assistance,” said Prashob.

The central government allocates fund for training the civil defence team. The volunteers are selected from regional levels, provided with quality training and equipped to act as a first response team.

“As the number of fire brigade officers in Kerala is limited in strength (5,000 officers for 3 crore people), it was necessary to formulate such a team for assistance. The idea was to find volunteers from local levels, as they are often the first to reach the affected areas,” said Ashif, fire station officer, Mananthavady.

“These are people who wish to do something for the society, without seeking anything in return. They deserve appreciation,” he added.

Any Indian citizen above 18 years of age, who has passed class 4 in school, can apply to be a civil defence volunteer. The team will be led by a coordinator at respective fire stations.

For further details: www.cds.fire.kerala.gov.in