Officer Who Rescued 30 from Fire Becomes First Civilian to Receive This Award

If you see people trapped in a fire in a building, how far would you go to save them?

When a seven-storied hotel at Madhuranagar, Shamshabad caught fire last year in June, superintendent Dharamvir Singh didn’t think twice before helping those who were trapped.

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On seeing the fire, the employees of the building panicked and rushed to the rooftop. After receiving a distress call, the Telangana State Disaster Response & Fire Services Department (TSDRFSD) dispatched their vehicles. However, when they reached the spot and started battling the fire, they realised they would soon run out of water.

Dharamvir, who is part of the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting team of GMR Hyderabad International Ltd., came to their rescue.

As soon as his team was informed about the incident, he rushed to the spot in an airport fire fighting vehicle along with two crew members, reports The Hindu. After he saw that the fire department personnel had run out of water, he connected the water hoses of his own vehicle, to that of the department’s in an effort to control the fire.

Dharamvir then noticed fire emanating from a medical shop on the ground floor, which was endangering the lives of residents living in the flats above the shop. Without a second thought, he strapped on his protective equipment and self-controlled breathing apparatus and climbed onto the second floor using a ladder. Through this brave act, he managed to evacuate 30 people trapped on the terrace.

Dharamvir’s bravery was soon recognised, and it was announced on New Year’s Eve that he would be the first civilian recipient of the TS Gallantry Award, which is usually only given to uniformed personnel.

According to The Hindu, he will get a cash award of ₹10,000 and a monthly recurring grant of ₹150.

Elated to have received the award, Dharamvir told the publication, “The recognition is a high point in my career as a fire officer and as a human being. I feel honoured, and it is a great boost for my team and colleagues in fire departments under the GMR Group.”

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