In a first of its kind, Mumbai Fire Brigade Appoints 2 Women As Station Officers

For the first time ever, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) has promoted two female fire officers as Station Officers (SO) in the brigade.

In the history of the brigade, this is the maiden official elevation that women officers are promoted to such an essential administrative post.

The two promoted officers, Sunita Khot and SV Bhor, were working as Assistant Station Officers. The two officers have been serving in the brigade for the past 10 years. They will now be posted at Byculla and Wadala.

Both the women, Sunita Khot and Shubhangi Mehandade, are from the 2012 recruited batch.

In the new roles, they will be tasked with managing the fire stations, attending firefighting calls, and carrying out maintenance works and other administrative works.

This year, 23 MFB officials were promoted; of which, 21 are male. Therefore, it is believed that these two women officers will set a good example for future.

If reports are to trusted, there are 116 female firefighters in the Brigade and MFB has the largest female contingent across India although women make up just six per cent of the force. The brigade also has three female fire officers out of a total of 180 officers.

For those unversed, the role of station officers includes running an entire fire station along with taking up administrative roles for the brigade.