In the leadup to World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Vedanta Aluminium has announced its ‘Agnivahini’ firefighting team, a unique squad of women employees trained extensively in the complex yet crucial skill of firefighting, is now 100 members strong. Working with the fire safety team, the squad will reinforce fire incident prevention and mitigation measures at the company’s operations in Jharsuguda.
Commenced in 2018, the ‘Agnivahini’ training programme has now inducted its seventh batch of trained firefighters. Women employees from across functions are invited to volunteer for the programme, where they undergo rigorous training over a period of three months.
The training curriculum includes both theoretical and practical modules comprising basic fire prevention and combat techniques, emergency preparedness, and onsite emergency drills. The squad works with the plant fire safety teams to identify potential fire hazards and conduct fire prevention audits, thereby enhancing onsite fire preparedness and safety quotient. In addition, members of the Agnivahini also conduct fire safety training for communities within Jharsuguda district, enhancing community awareness and readiness as well.
Highlighting the impact of the initiative, Sunil Gupta, CEO, Vedanta Limited – Jharsuguda, informs that at Vedanta Aluminium, safety and health at work remain among its top priorities, the company is committed to continually recalibrating its approach and introducing new, innovative practices to provide a safer and healthier work environment for all employees and business partners. The ‘Agnivahini’ programme has been a remarkable outcome of this effort, 100 women firefighters have been trained under this initiative.