Kerala Fire And Rescue Services
The Kerala Fire And Rescue Services is a service department of the Government of Kerala whose function is to fight fires and provide relief measures in times of calamities and disasters in Kerala. It is responsible for the provision of fire protection as well as responding to building collapses, drownings, gas leakage, oil spillage, road and rail accidents, bird and animal rescues, fallen trees and taking appropriate action during natural disasters.
The department has now 122 Fire and Rescue stations and a Training Academy consisting of nearly 4800 executive personnel and nearly 200 ministerial staff. The Headquarters the department is situated at Thiruvananthapuram. “WE SERVE TO SAVE” is the motto of the department.
There were separate Fire services in Travancore, Cochin and Malabar States before the formation of Kerala State. There were three fire stations in Travancore and Kochi and five fire stations in Malabar. These stations were under the control of Police Department. In 1949, the Fire Station of Travancore and Cochin states were joined together. In 1956, Malabar state was also included and thus the Kerala Fire Service came into being. From then onwards, the Inspector General of Police was the head of the Fire Service up to 1963. Fire services worked as part of the Police Department. As per the notification of The Kerala Government in 1962, Kerala Fire Force Act came into existence.
The Kerala Fire Force department started working as a separate department since 1963. Director of Civil Defence held the position of the Head of the Department till 1967. From 1967 to August 1970 an Inspector General of Police held the charge of the Director for Fire Force. In 1970 the Fire Force Department was brought under a separate Director.
In 1982 the name of the Director of Fire Force was renamed as Commandant General, Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire Force. Considering the rescue works under taken by this Department and significance in that area, this department had been renamed as Kerala Fire & Rescue Services in 2002. Now the Department is rendering its remarkable and commendable service through 119 Fire & Rescue Stations. In 2015 the name of the Commandant General was renamed as Director General, Fire and Rescue, Home Guards and Civil Defence.
There are 14 District Offices (Assistant Divisional Offices in each Districts) and 5 Divisional Offices in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kozhikode and one Assistant Divisional Officer in Kerala Fire and Rescue Services Academy. Motor Transport wing is established in Headquarters, Academy and five Divisional office. The Department is in a stage of modernisation and development so as to provide better service to the public in all emergency situations.
