The State Disaster Management Authority has been constituted under the Disaster Management Act 2005. Under the same provisions, then State is requires to constitute the State Disaster Response Force. The Government of Goa has envisaged strength of 200 personnel for the State Disaster Response Force. Of this the Fire and Emergency Services constitute a component of 50 Fire personnel. The selected personnel are being provided training in various aspects of the following:

  • Swift Water/flood Rescue Training
  • Medical First Responder & Urban Search and Rescue Training
  • Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Training at National Disaster Response Force Centre

 The Special Rescue Training Academy(SRTA), A training organisation of the Drishti Special Response Services Private Limited imparted flood rescue training to the officers and Fire Personnel of Goa State Fire & Emergency Services, which will improve the state of preparedness of the Department for Rescue from inland and flood water related emergencies. The six day training programme was conducted on the banks of river Kundalika at Kolad, Maharashtra where river offers a very appropriate flowing water body in form of flood by opening the dam gates for an hour. Total 40 numbers of Fire Officers & Personnel of Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services have undergone Swift Water/Flood Rescue Training in four batches:-
I. Batch I : 11 nos. of Fire Personnel has undergone Swift Water/ Flood Rescue Training at Kolad, Maharashtra w.e.f 06/05/2013 to 11/05/2013 comprising of 01 no. Divsional Officer, 01 no.Station Fire Officer & 09 nos. Fire Fighters.
II. Batch II : 10 nos. of Fire Personnel has undergone Swift Water/ Flood Rescue Training at Kolad, Maharashtra w.e.f 26/08/2013 to 31/08/2013 comprising of 01 no. Station Fire Officer , 01 no. Sub-officer & 08 nos. Fire Fighters.
III. Batch III : 08 nos. of Fire Personnel has undergone Swift Water/ Flood Rescue Training at Kolad, Maharashtra w.e.f 03/11/2014 to 08/11/2014 comprising of 01 no. Station Fire Officer , 01 no. Sub-officer & 06 nos. Fire Fighters.
IV. Batch IV : 11 nos. of Fire Personnel has undergone Swift Water/ Flood Rescue Training at Kolad, Maharashtra w.e.f 19/06/2016 to 24/09/2016 comprising of 02 nos. Station Fire Officers & 09 nos. Fire Fighters.

MEDICAL FIRST RESPONDER (MFR)
Medical First Responder (MFR) is a comprehensive training imparted to Fire Personnel that will call to be the first rescuers on the scene of an emergency. The program reflects the latest advances in first aid and CPR. Medical First Responder provides primary rescuers with the information and skills they need to respond to medical emergencies with confidence and care.
Medical first Responder course focus on Primary and Secondary Scene Management, Advanced First Aid Procedures, Airway Management, Oxygen Therapy, C-spine Management, Spinal Boards, Patient Packaging,Pharmacology, Traumatic Injuries, Medical Injuries,Childbirth, Multiple casualty incidents, and Patient Transfer to EMS.
The first responders will do a basic assessment of the situation by asking questions and checking vitals and the condition.
URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE (USAR)
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is a pre-planned, self-sufficient, multi agency response to structural collapse situations. This can be a response to either a natural or manmade disaster or emergency. USAR has the capability to rescue casualties trapped by buildings, landfalls or slippages which collapse as a result of industrial accidents, explosions, natural disasters and terrorist activity.
USAR training involves awareness level for initial responders who generally work removing primary surface casualties, conducting initial intelligence gathering, identifying hazards and establishing marking systems, extensive training in the technical and specialized aspects of rescue. All of these skills combine to allow the rescuer to access survivable spaces located within the rubble to remove trapped and injured victims from partially or totally collapsed structures.
The Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services has prepared a team to form the department contingent in the State Disaster Response Force. The contingent have already been trained in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Medical First Responder (MFR), Swift Water Flood Rescue (SWFR), besides the Basic Fire Fighting and other related skills. In the first batch 12 Fire Fighting Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force contingent of the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services had been recently deputed to 5 Bn. National Disaster Response Force training at Sudumbare, The-Maval, District Pune for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Training. The contingent who were trained at National Disaster Response Force was headed by Shri Rajendra A. Haldankar, Divisional Officer alongwith Shri DeelipGawas, Station Fire Officer, Shri Santosh Gawas, Station Fire Officer, Shri Dilesh H. Govekar, Sub-Officer, Shri SiddeshParab, Fire Fighter, Shri Pravin Gaonkar, Fire Fighter, Shri Baurao T. Arondekar, Fire Fighter, Shri Rajendra S. Pednekar, Fire Fighter, Shri Sajjan S. Mudkudkar, Fire Fighter, Shri Satyajeet H. Dessai, Fire Fighter, Shri Sachin Gaonkar, Fire Fighter and Shri Narayan T. Morlekar, Fire Fighter.
The trainees have been provided with classroom and practical training in various facets of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear. The funding for this training have been made from the State Disaster Response Fund of the Goa State Disaster Management Authority.
The Director of the department had visited the Trainees at the training centre to apprise himself with the training facilities and the training requirement for the State. The Commandant In-charge of 5 Bn. National Disaster Response Force participated in the discussion and showed the facility required for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear training. The Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services needs to further equip itself for meeting the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents and will begin the procurement process. The Goa Fire and Emergency Services is first Emergency Response Department in the country to get its State Disaster Response Force contingent trained in CBRN.