No fire station in coastal Goa due to high property prices

PANAJI - The state fire and emergency services department has been unable to build a fire station in the tourist-centric coastal belt of Goa, thanks to booming real estate prices, a senior official said Monday.

“We have not been able to get any land for setting up fire stations in the coastal belt because of the high prices,” Ashok Menon, director of Goa’s fire services and emergency services, told reporters here.

Goa’s coastal belt, which is the hub of tourism-related activity, attracts nearly 2.4 million tourists annually, who are scattered in several pockets along the 105 km long coastline.

“Presently we are setting up only one sub station at Calangute. But there is no other fire station in other coastal area,” Menon said, adding that to counter the high real estate prices handicap, the department was looking at innovative technology and other methods.

Menon also said that firemen were also being trained to administer emergency medical treatment responses like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

“We are planning to raise motor cycle response teams in the coastal areas to reach the emergency spot with basic medical and life support equipment,” Menon said.