Times News NetworkKanpur: Giving topmost priority to public safety, a three-day “Fire Safety and Rescue Awareness and Training Campaign” began here from Friday under the chairmanship of Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal.Inaugurating the campaign, the CP said that fire safety is an extremely important subject in view of modern urban life, multi-storey buildings, and the increasing number of coaching institutes and hostels. He clarified that the responsibility of the Commissionerate Police is not only to maintain law and order, but also to empower citizens with disaster management and life-saving skills. He said that in the event of any fire incident, the loss of life and damage to property can be reduced to a great extent through a swift, trained, and alert response.On the first day of the campaign, a detailed training/awareness programme for operators and managers of coaching institutes and hostels was organized in the Police Office auditorium in which experts from the Fire Service, Civil Defence, and KESCO provided detailed information on building safety standards, electrical wiring safety, installation and maintenance of fire-fighting equipment, and Evacuation Plan.During the training, the experts stated that the initial minutes of any accident are extremely important and major accidents can be prevented through a trained, swift response. The participants were provided practical training in fire extinguisher operation, initial control of fire, and safe evacuation. The experts demonstrated scientific methods of identifying and controlling fires caused by electricity, gas cylinder leakage, short circuits, and inflammable materials. A live demo of fire extinguishers, fire bucket system, and sand- and water-based control methods was also conducted.KESCO’s executive engineer Sushil Kumar, highlighting the need for standard-compliant cabling, overloading, and old wiring, stated that most fire accidents occur due to electrical load imbalance and heating in old wiring, therefore standard-compliant armoured cable and regular electrical inspection are necessary.Civil Defence’s Vimlesh Yadav stated that major accidents can be prevented through a swift and trained response in the initial stage of fire. Along with this, it was also informed that the availability of fire-fighting equipment, its regular maintenance, and the training of employees in every coaching institute is mandatory.The officers also said that most fire accidents occur due to human negligence, irregular electrical connections, and disregard of safety standards, which can be prevented to a great extent through regular inspection and training. In the first phase of the campaign, training has been provided to the operators of coaching institutes, while in the coming days other educational institutions, commercial establishments, and stakeholders will also be connected with this campaign.On this occasion, additional police commissioner (Crime and Headquarters) Sankalp Sharma, along with Chief Fire Officer Deepak Sharma (Fire Service) were present on the occasion.