Bhubaneswar, May 7: Director-General of Fire Services SK Upadhyay today visited Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy (OFDRA) in Bhubaneswar.

OFDRA has started functioning since 1971 as Odisha Fire Service training school and subsequently up-graded to OFDRA from 2015. The aim and objective of this training academy is impart training and to build the capacity of Odisha Fire Service personnel to make them more professional in skill.

Several trainings such as ladder drill, pump drill, hydrant drill and underwater training are being imparted to trainees by specialized trainers of Odisha Fire Service. These training facilities also been provided to fire service personnel from other state fire service organization and establishment like Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kerala, Gujarat and INS Chilika.

Since its inception 7,882 trainees from Odisha Fire Service have attended various training programme till date. Additionally, 18,783 of trainees from various state fire unit, home guards, civil defence volunteers and ODRAF have also undergone training at this establishment and completed the course successfully. On completion of full- fledged infrastructure it can cater as a unique training academy of its kind in Eastern part of India.

Upadhyay emphasised for the deployment of Fire Services personnel in the most affected areas as per requirement of the local administration. He also instructed to all Fire Service personnel to follow the Covid guidelines during their work.