THE Old Settlement Commissionerate building, a heritage monument on Palm Road in Civil Lines which was earlier housing the National Fire Service College (NFSC), would be converted into a museum of firefighting and safety equipment, an assortment of nozzles and fire engines of British era. This would be the second such museum in Maharashtra after Keshavrao Jagtap Museum at Erandwane Fire Station in Pune.

 

 

 

After the NFSC shifted to its new premises on Takli Feeder Road in Raj Nagar, Old Settlement Commissionerate building is now being used by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for its training programmes.

Speaking to ‘The Hitavada,’ Dr G S Saini, Director of NFSC, said, “We have plans to convert the heritage building into a museum.” The NDRF, under the National Disaster Management Academy, would soon have its independent academy for which the government has sanctioned 153 acre land in Suradevi, he added.

 

In 1950, an expert committee constituted by the government had conceived the idea of NFSC for imparting proper training to fire service personnel. After six years in 1956, the NFSC was established at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and later shifted to Old Settlement Commissionerate building in Nagpur. NFSC, which functions under Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, was shifted to Nagpur considering the city’s geographical location, climatic advantages a connectivity.

 

Asia’s only government institution to offer specialised Fire Engineering courses, the NFSC was shifted to its new premises on Takli Feeder Road in Raj Nagar in 2015. It has adequate space for conducting fire drills and demonstrations. Being a residential institution, NFSC has excellent hostel facilities with well-furnished accommodation for about 1000 trainees at a time. It awards certificates, diplomas, advanced Diplomas and degree on successful completion of its courses, which are recognised by the Central and State governments, Public Sector Undertakings and private Business houses. NFSC had first started BE (Fire) under affiliation of RTM Nagpur University in 1978.

 

Old Settlement Commissionerate building, which is more than 100 years old, is well-conserved by NFSC authorities. This would add another feather in the cap of Orange city after its conversion into a museum.