: In a bid to tackle a rise in fire incidents, the Uttar Pradesh government will facilitate the recruitment of over two lakh fire safety officers and personnel in private establishments such as malls, hospitals, schools, and large commercial buildings after getting them properly trained by the fire services department.
With this move, Uttar Pradesh will become the first state in the country to systematically train and employ youth in firefighting roles across private institutions, the state government media cell said in a press statement on Thursday. Acting on the instructions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the department has formulated a comprehensive action plan for this initiative, the statement added.
“The eligibility criteria have been defined, and training programmes ranging from one to four weeks will be conducted. Participants will receive certification upon completion, enabling them to secure jobs in private establishments like malls and multiplexes, hospitals with 100+ beds, non-residential buildings over 24 metres, residential buildings over 45 metres, and industrial units covering over 10,000 square meters,” additional director general (ADG) of Fire Services Padmaja Chauhan said
To support this large-scale training effort, the capacity of the fire services department’s training center in Unnao is being expanded from 196 to 600 trainees. “Plans are under way to establish regional training centres to make high-quality, technically advanced training more accessible to citizens and employees of private institutions,” Chauhan added.
She further said Uttar Pradesh was the first state to adopt the Centre’s Model Fire Service Bill-2019 and implement the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act-2022. This legislation mandates deploying trained fire safety officers and personnel in private buildings, she added
She said the deployment of fire safety officers and personnel is mandatory under Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act-2022 and the fire services department with train youths for these roles.
Following their training, these individuals will be eligible for employment in private establishments such as malls, hospitals, schools, and large commercial buildings. This initiative empowers the youth with meaningful jobs and enhances the state’s disaster preparedness and safety infrastructure.
The ADG highlighted that the Fire and Emergency Services Act-2022 and Fire Rules-2024 have emerged as models for other states, which are now studying U.P’s framework to replicate it.
Eligibility criteria
Individuals (18 years and above) meeting the minimum qualification and experience requirements for specific building categories can become fire safety officers after a one-week orientation/training programme at their district fire stations.
Any man or woman who has passed Class 10 can become a fire safety worker after completing a four-week training programme, or volunteering as a fire alert/fire volunteer for two consecutive years.
