Indian Express 14.11.2009
Fire dept receives 13,000 applications for 59 posts
The Municipal Corporation has received around 13,000 applications for 59 posts in its Fire Wing that were advertised recently. These include 47 posts of firemen, nine drivers and three watchroom duty operators. The forms are under scrutiny at present and once this is done, physical fitness tests for firemen and drivers would be held.
For those who qualify, a written test would follow. The minimum qualification for firemen and watchroom operators is Class X, while that for drivers is Class VIII.
Physical fitness tests would comprise running a distance of 100 yards with a weight of 60 kgs in one minute, lifting the hook ladder to a vertical position and climbing a rope or a vertical pipe to a height of 8-10 feet from the ground.
Additional Commissioner P K Sharma said the response to the advertisement has been tremendous. Since a large number of forms have been received, the scrutiny will take a few days, he added.
The MC had got a go ahead for making fresh recruitments a few months ago to help tide over the staff crunch. The need to recruit new staff had been raised time and again by the officials as well as the Fire and Emergency Services Committee. Meanwhile, plans are on the anvil for upgradation of the fire services. The proposal for giving insurance cover to firemen has also received the government nod.
