Delhi Fire Service has launched an initiative that trains women in JJ clusters to assist its firefighters in controlling emergency situations.

The Fire Department, BSES and Mehar Charitable Trust, an NGO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an idea to create awareness and train people to control fire incidents using the available resources at home.

Upon completing the training, the participating women were given a ‘Main bhi firefighter hoon’ (I too am a firefighter) certificate. The DFS has so far trained two batches of 200 women each from two JJ colonies.

Delhi Fire Service (DFS) Chief Atul Garg, said a detailed record of every woman trained in basic firefighting techniques will be maintained by the DFS so that they can be called for help during emergencies.

He added: “The purpose is to make the women feel confident and help fire tenders reach the spot by guiding them about alternate routes in case of emergencies. The trained women can also help by clearing the roads for DFS vehicles and also apprise the firefighters of the nearest sources of water.”

Nargis Begam, who undertook the training programme, said she enrolled myself in a training programme by Delhi Fire Service to assist firefighters when fires break out. “I can now teach others how to tackle such situations,” she said.

The NGO, in coordination with the DFS, plans to reach out to women through Residential Welfare Associations in all the JJ clusters across the city.