A view of the Shevapet Fire and Rescue Services Station in Salem in Tamil Nadu.

| Photo Credit: LAKSHMI NARAYANAN E.

Constructions works at the Shevapet Fire Station in the district have been completed, and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is expected to inaugurate the station soon via video conferencing.The Shevapet Fire Station was constructed by the British during the Second World War on November 12, 1942, and was the first fire station constructed in the district. Since the fire station was constructed 80 years ago, the firefighters demanded construction of a new station at the same location, which would involve demolishing the old building and updating it with adequate facilities.Based on the demand, the State government allocated ₹6 crore to construct the new building and in June 2024, construction works began. At present, the fire station is functioning at Maniyanoor on a temporary basis. Officials attached to the Fire and Rescue Service Department said that before the bifurcation (before 1994) of Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts from Salem district, if case of a fire accident, fire tenders from Shevapet would rush to those spots in these districts to extinguish the fire. Currently, there are 15 fire stations functioning in the Salem district, including in Mettur Thermal, Omalur, Nangavalli, Sankagiri, Vazhapadi, Yercaud, Attur, Suramangalam, Mettur Dam, and Gangavalli. A file seeking the Chief Minister’s availability to inaugurate the station was sent recently. Soon, Mr. Vijay will inaugurate the fire station, officials added.Speaking about the amenities, the district officer for the Fire and Rescue Service Department, R. Appash, said that the Shevapet Fire Station has a storage yard. “Earlier, the fire tenders were parked in open space and now they will be parked at the bays,” he said and noted that it has the capacity to park eight to nine vehicles.He said that a total of 50 firefighters are at this fire station. While the district officer’s office is currently functioning from a rental building, it will also operate in the new building after the inauguration.A proposal was submitted to the government to procure a 54-metre aerial ladder platform for Salem, which is currently being used in Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Chennai. Soon, fire stations in Salem will be equipped with the vehicle, Mr. Appash added. Published - July 28, 2026 07:07 pm IST