Bhubaneswar: The govt on Thursdaycommended the Odisha Fire and Emergency Service for its role in saving thousands of lives and property worth Rs 598 crore in 2025 alone.“The Odisha Fire and Emergency Service responded to 20,991 fire incidents last year, rescuing 9,547 people and 16,399 animals, besides saving property valued at Rs 598 crore,” chief secretary Anu Garg said after reviewing the department’s performance.Garg also praised the firefighters for their versatile disaster-response capabilities. Beyond fire emergencies, the personnel also handle road accidents, building collapses, drowning and other crises. On an average, they respond to more than 200 emergency calls daily.Garg emphasized the need to further strengthen disaster management services, particularly to reduce drowning cases. The fire service personnel rescued 660 people from drowning in 2023, 859 in 2024 and 805 in 2025.Highlighting Odisha’s growing expertise in rescue operations in water bodies, Garg gave the example of an advanced swimming and underwater rescue training centre near Ramchandi beach in Puri district, inaugurated recently in Dec 2025. Built at a cost of Rs 12 crore, the facility includes a state-of-the-art scuba complex, aimed at enhancing underwater rescue training.Fire service DG Sudhanshu Sarangi, who also attended the review meeting along with IGP Uma Shankar Dash, underlined the department’s role in saving lives during major road accidents. It attended 8,172 accident calls in 2023, saving 8,742 lives, and 4,936 calls in 2024, rescuing 5,833 people. “Fire personnel act as first responders during emergencies. So, we plan to upskill 2,000 personnel annually, ensuring at least two trained responders in every fire station. The firefighters will receive advanced training in lifesaving skills such as handling spinal and head injuries, stabilizing patients before hospital transfer, safe handling of unconscious people, and effective CPR administration,” Sarangi said.The meeting was attended by home department’s additional chief secretary Hemant Sharma.
