Fire Service launches specialised training course for earthquake preparedness
Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate has launched a specialised team formation and training course to strengthen disaster preparedness, especially during earthquakes.
The course was inaugurated on Saturday, 20 April 2025, at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Multipurpose Training Ground in Purbachal, Narayanganj, by the Directorate's Director General Brigadier General Muhammad Zahid Kamal, NDC, AFWC, PSC.
Lt Col M A Azad Anwar, PSC, Director of Training, Planning and Development; Md Wahidul Islam, Principal of the Fire Service Training Complex; Md Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, Deputy Director of Operations & Maintenance; and Md Saleh Uddin, Deputy Director of Dhaka Division, were also present at the inauguration.
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The five-day course, which will run until 1 May 2025, aims to enhance the professional skills of 50 fire and rescue personnel in search and rescue operations during major disasters, particularly earthquakes. The training will focus on equipping the team with the necessary tools and techniques to handle such large-scale emergencies. Additionally, essential rescue equipment will be stored at the Purbachal centre for rapid deployment during an earthquake.
The initiative comes in the wake of a recent major earthquake in Myanmar and concerns over ongoing seismic activity in Bangladesh, a country located in a high-risk earthquake zone. Experts warn that frequent minor tremors in the region could be indicators of more severe events. In response, the Fire Service has been conducting public awareness campaigns, mock drills, and volunteer training.
During the inauguration, Brigadier General Muhammad Zahid Kamal stressed the importance of decentralising both personnel and equipment. He noted, "We are enabling our officers to operate from multiple locations so that a single disaster doesn't paralyse the entire system."
He also emphasised that the trainees from this course would form a specialised unit capable of taking a leading role in post-earthquake rescue efforts in Dhaka. Plans are in place to expand this programme in phases, further strengthening the country's overall disaster response capacity.
