The Director General of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Department, Brigadier General Muhammad Jahed Kamal, held a courtesy call and bilateral meeting with the Director General of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) at the Ansar-VDP headquarters in Khilgaon, Dhaka, in a cordial atmosphere.
The meeting focused on coordinating the implementation of national disaster management plans, reads a press release.
The discussions follow an earlier courtesy call between the Ansar-VDP Director General and the Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Asadul Habib Dulu.
During that meeting, set against the backdrop of overall reforms and capacity building within the force, the Ansar-VDP Director General presented the extensive potential of the volunteer organisational structure in disaster management, highlighting the potential role and digital deployment management of trained Town Defence Party (TDP) volunteers in tackling sudden emergencies such as earthquakes and fires in Dhaka.
Building on those discussions, the Ansar-VDP Director General held detailed talks with the Fire Service Director General on plans and training to keep ward, zone, and police station area-based trained TDP volunteers prepared for sudden disasters, including earthquakes, across the capital. Both leaders evaluated the multi-faceted factors and integrated deployment of the Ansar-VDP volunteer network in light of the Fire Service’s operational capabilities across Dhaka Division.
Under the plan, trained volunteers registered in the Ansar-VDP digital database will serve as First Responders during emergencies. They will actively participate in rapid response, rescue operations, relief distribution, and other humanitarian rehabilitation efforts.
A key outcome of the meeting was a framework to provide specialised and advanced training to a proposed 100,000 (1 lakh) TDP volunteer members on tackling earthquakes, fires, and sudden disasters, alongside their basic force training. This initiative aims to establish an effective local disaster response capability across various areas of the capital.
Additionally, both forces emphasised working jointly to safeguard internal security, manage disasters, fight fires, and respond to any emergency situation in the country. Detailed discussions were held regarding training support and strategic information sharing to enhance professionalism at the field level.
Reaffirming a firm commitment to strengthen mutual integrated cooperation during future national crises and humanitarian disasters, both Directors General expressed optimism that the joint initiative will significantly reduce public safety and disaster management risks nationwide.
