Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais presented the President's Fire Service Medals and Scrolls to four Fire Officers and leading firemen from Pune and other parts of Maharashtra on the occasion of the fire service day. Pune's Chief Fire Officer Devendra Potphode was among the 13 officers to receive the award.
Along with Potphode, former Chief Fire Officer from Pune Municipal Corporation Prashant Ranpise, Tandel Rajaram Kedari and Fireman Chandrakant Anandas were also awarded.
Every year fire brigades, fire departments, municipal corporations, industries, government offices, and others pay tribute to the 71 Firemen who died in the Bombay Port fire on April 14, 1944, on National Fire Service Day.
It's called Martyr's Day because everyone honours the courageous firefighters who sacrificed their lives to save lives and assets. The main aim of the week is to increase awareness among civilians to ascertain their preparedness to fight fire emergencies.
This year's theme is "Awareness in Fire Safety for Growth of National Infrastructure (AGNI)".
As a part of the safety week, all the fire brigade departments of Maharashtra have started conducting awareness programs and training programs for civilians to make them self-sufficient to fight the fire.
