Women's Day: Asia’s first women airport firefighters display their prowess in Bengaluru
After a year of training, the first women firefighter squad of Asia, comprising of 14 women, demonstrated a mock fire drill ahead of International Women’s Day in Bengaluru.
Bengaluru International Airport on Tuesday kickstarted celebrations for the International Women’s Day with the first squad of women airport firefighters in Asia, demonstrating their readiness for emergency rescue service through a mock fire drill.
Firefighters at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
Lauding the firefighters who were recruited from across Karnataka in March 2019, Thomas Hoff Andersson, Chief Operating Officer of the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) said,
“BIAL has set an example by creating a path for women to break into what has traditionally been a male bastion. It was heartening to see the girls display immense resolve during the rigorous training to emerge as proficient firefighters. This passion for work and excellence will inspire many.”
The squad of 14 women were inducted in February 2018, after completing training for a year that included a rigorous four-month-long training at the Airports Authority of India Fire Service Training Centre in Kolkata.
ARFF is a team that deals with the response, hazard mitigation, evacuation, and rescue of passengers and crew of an aircraft during an emergency, round the clock.
At present, women make up 15 percent of the workforce at the international airport. However, BIAL claims to be actively engaging in making the organisation more diverse and inclusive.
More and more Indian women are proving their might by stepping into ‘unconventional’ professions, from firefighting service to the armed force. The Airport Authority of India hired its first woman firefighter Taniya Sanyal in 2018.
Additionally, in November last year, Chennai airport also had its first woman firefighter, when 28-year-old Remya Sreekantan, joined as Junior Assistant (AFS) at the fire service department.
However, in 2006, the country found its first woman firefighter, Harshini Kanhekar, a graduate from National Fire Service College (NFSC) in Nagpur. The only girl studying there at the time, the college had to obtain special permission from the Home Ministry to allow her to attend as a day scholar.
(Edited by Suman Singh)