Fireman gets Chief Minister’s Medal

S. Nagarajaiah
Chitradurga: “The profession of a fire fighter is a noble one as it provides the opportunity to save lives and property of the community. This profession has given me a lot of satisfaction”, said S. Nagarajaiah who recently received the Chief Minister’s Medal for his exemplary service. He has worked in four other districts before he was transferred to Chitradurga. Working as the Leading Fireman at Chitradurga Fire Station, this 55-year-old official is proud of his profession. Mr. Nagarajaiah says in his 30-year-long service as a fireman there have been incidents that have brought him both cheer and dismay. While dealing with fire mishaps, the effort is to save human lives. “Only when we are sure that human lives have been saved do we turn our attention to saving livestock and property. But unfortunately on certain occasions we cannot prevent casualties and that is what saddens me”. But sometimes when I am able to save lives, I feel satisfied. Recalling an incident that happened in Kolar a few years ago, he said they had saved the life of a person who had climbed on an overhead water tank to commit suicide. “We were told that he had some psychiatric problem and that he was a fan of Kannada actor Shankar Nag. So, to distract him, we sang songs of his liking even while we climbed the ladder to reach him on the water tank. The whole operation took two hours but we were successful in bringing him back alive”, said Mr. Nagarajaiah. When there is fire somewhere, traffic congestion, bad roads and narrow lanes cause delay in reaching the spot and that adds to the tragedy. “Nonetheless, with the available staff and fire equipment, we try to do our best to minimize the number of casualties and extent of property damage”.On the occasion , he thanked his senior officers and colleagues.