Kochi: A new multi-functional rescue vehicle, Emergency Rescue Tender (ET), was officially launched by district collector K. Muhammad Y. Safirulla at the Fire and Rescue Station, Gandhinagar, on Tuesday.
The vehicle which was built at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore is capable of conducting any rescue operation as it is fully packed with all the modern equipment. “This is exclusively for accidents and other rescue services, not for fire mishaps. The government had earlier allotted around Rs 70 crore as part of the modernisation work, from which we have purchased Scuba and other emergency rescue vehicles that were used in the recent floods,” Mr P. Dileepan, regional fire officer, Ernakulam, said. “For a district like Ernakulam, where mishaps take place frequently, these types of full-fledged vehicles are necessary,” he added.
The highlight of the vehicle is that it can carry all the equipment at one time to handle any situation, including hydraulic rescue tools like spreader, cutter and combi tool. “There is a hydraulic light weight aluminium jack which can hold up to 50 tonnes of weight, and a shoring system which can hold a collapsed building for a short duration until the rescue is made,” Mr A. Unnikrishnan, fire officer, Fire and Rescue Station, Gandhinagar, told DC.
