Interested may submit applications at District Home Guards Office; volunteers to be involved in emergency rescue operations

Mysuru: The State Government has decided to introduce the concept of Civil Defence Volunteers to involve interested persons in the rescue of people and cattle during emergency situations.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has given his consent for the proposal, has issued instructions to take action for the recruitment of volunteers under Civil Defence Act, in a recent video conference meeting held with the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts.

The new initiative aims to address situations that emerge during fire mishaps, natural disasters and other accidents, with the thrust on creating a robust team of not less than 1,000 volunteers in each of the districts. They will be working in tandem with the Police personnel, Fire and Emergency Services personnel and Home Guards. Prior to that, they will be trained along with the required guidance to hone their skills.

Those with a minimum age of 18 years, a pass in fourth grade, longing to work for the country and the land, can enrol their names for this yeoman service. The interested may walk in to the Home Guards Office in their respective districts and submit the application along with the photocopies of their Aadhaar card, educational qualification and photograph. They won’t be paid any remuneration by the Government, except for taking care of their travel and food expenses during rescue operations.

The team of volunteers will be recruited in each district and the team with maximum volunteers, will be split into taluk-level teams and deputed to assist those parts of the district, depending on the requirements. The training related to handling of emergency health conditions during accidents will be provided at the Central Office of Home Guards in Bengaluru.

Dr. Kantharaju, District Home Guards Commandant said, with Nada Habba Mysuru Dasara festival fast approaching, the recruitment process of Civil Defence Volunteers will be expedited. It is being thought over to deploy the volunteers for crowd controlling and additional security measures during Dasara. The applications for volunteers have been already invited and those interested can submit their applications at the Home Guards Office in Saraswathipuram here.