RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb.2: Those residing in apartments and think that their private security guards will be of great help in case of fire need to be alert as their guards do not have training to handle equipment installed to fight a fire.
So, they will be of no use when a fire breaks out in high-rise buildings or for that matter in hospitals, malls or multiplexes which are manned by private security guards only. They are the ones who happen to be on the spot to respond to a fire immediately before the fire department personnel reach.
It came to the fore after Lagatar24.com taking serious note of 14 deaths and several injuries in Dhanbad in an incident of fire in a multi-storey building talked to a section of private security guards working across the state and private security guards working in most of the apartments are just a show piece for psychological satisfaction.
“Fire fighting hume nahi sikhaya gaya hai. Doo Sou Rupaiya per day ke liye kaun kaun training len. Hum ka Ranchi mein kaam karne wala 80 percent se jyada guard fire fighting nahi janta hai. Ranchi shahar mein kam se kam 10000 guards hoga. Yadi Doo Sau rupaiya per day ke liye Jyada training karayega to kaam chhod kar chaliyo jayega. (I have not been trained in fire-fighting. I don’t know how many trainings are required for earning Rs 200 per day. Not only do I, 80 percent of private security guards working in Ranchi do not know fire-fighting. There are at least 10,000 private security guards in Ranchi. If more training is imparted for a job of Rs 200 per day, I will quit from my job,” a security guard said angrily when asked whether he knows fire-fighting.
Director of a private security agency admitted the problem saying it is not possible for all security agencies to open its training centre and impart training.
“There are more than 200 big and small private security agencies operating in the state but very few of agencies have proper training facility. When the agencies do not have training facility what to talk about fire-fighting, martial arts, driving and other allied training. Affiliation from National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) is required to open a training centre and it is not easy to take that affiliation. It requires a big infrastructure and investment,” the director said.
“As far as I know only SIS is running a training centre in Garhwa and Ranchi Security Private Limited in Gumla. Most of the agencies send their security guards for training. As training is compulsory small agencies sign MoU with big security agencies but hardly send their guards for training,” the director said.
Director of Norna Softech Private Limited Swarsh Singh admitted the situation sharing the practical problem in imparting training to security guards.
“I do not have own training centre as I am a small security agency with hardly 50 security guards. I have signed MoU with a Jamshedpur -based agency for training. I spend Rs 15000 for imparting training which includes fire fighting also. I have experienced that after training guards quit my agency as I fail to provide them job of more than Rs 10,000 per month in Jharkhand and they get better job opportunity in big cities. Thus sometimes it also comes in mind that it is wrong to impart training if I have to continue in the job. If this idea comes in mind it must be coming in mind of directors of other security agencies also,” Singh said.
Contacted director of Ranchi Security Private Limited Anirudha Singh for his comment, he said he has all the infrastructure and he imparts proper training to his guards.
“We have three-month training programme which includes fire-fighting also. We impart rigorous training in fire-fighting. The State fire department also helps us whenever we seek their help. We also impart training to the guards of G4 Security Agency,” Singh said sharing some of the pictures of his institute showing their guards undergoing the fire-fighting training.
There are more than one crore private security guards across the country. Out of which number of private security guards will not be less than one lakh in Jharkhand. “If all the private security guards are imparted training in fire-fighting, they will be of a great help at the time of fire,” an official of fire department said.
