KOZHIKODE: The Student Response Force, under the Kozhikode Fire and Rescue services is ready for action from Thursday. As many as 79 students belonging to the Government College of Nursing were awarded badges and identity cards, which qualify them to be a responsible force to fight an emergency. The badges were distributed by district collector N. Prasanth at an awards ceremony organised at the college. The student response force in the Government College of Nursing was the first of its kind in the state, said assistant divisional officer Arun Bhaskar, who also attended the function. The students completed three phases of training, including field training at the Fire station, Meenchanda.
“Medical students are already exposed to lifesaving situations. So, the training provided to them would be more useful, compared to the other students. The idea to start a response force from the college began almost a year ago, when a class was conducted here and the enthusiastic students sought more classes. We could provide training to only select students and hence, 85 were chosen,” said Mr Arun. The students were given training in rescue, use of equipment, rope rescue, lifting etc. along with the other techniques needed in an emergency. Ten male students from BSc, MSc and diploma courses were included in the training. The officers said that the female students showed interest in joining the parent service (Fire and Rescue), though there is no provision for female cadets in the state’s system currently.
