Calling the firefighters "friend of worst time", Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday said her government is working to make the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) into a topmost efficient service-providing organisation.

"We are taking measures to transform the Fire Service and Civil Defence into the highest service-providing organisation with complete ability," she said while opening the Fire Service and Civil Defence Week-2022.

The prime minister virtually joined the inaugural programme held at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Training Complex at Mirpur in the city from her official residence Ganabhaban.

She said her government has taken steps to make the fire service a time befitting force inducing modern equipment and fire fighting vehicles and equipping its personnel with proper training at home and abroad.

She stressed the need for making all the people aware from their childhood on how the fire breaks out and how to protect them from the blaze.

The prime minister asked all concerned to observe the week keeping three things in mind including increasing people's awareness about fire and ensuring their participation in dousing flames, increasing fire fighters' mental strength to strengthen the disaster prevention management system and increasing the ability to fight the disaster effectively.

She said the fire service personnel were found to extend help in every disaster including fire and launch capsize.

Her government has done a huge task for the overall development of the fire service aimed at increasing its ability and services, she added.

"I would like to say that it is a great task to rescue people (from being killed in fire) by risking lives. So, the firefighters are known as 'worst-time's friend' to the masses," she said.

The premier recalled with gratitude the supreme sacrifice of 30 firefighters including 13 fire personnel who were killed in the recent devastating blaze at BM Container Depot in Sitakunda and were announced as "Agni Beer" (Fire Hero) and prayed for the peace of their departed souls.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Security Service Division Secretary Abdullah Al Masud Chowdhury spoke at the function as special guests while Director General of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate Brigadier General Md Main Uddin gave the welcome address.

On behalf of the prime minister, the home minister handed over the Fire Service and Civil Defence Padak-2022 in four categories to 45 fire personnel and relatives of 13 firefighters killed in Sitakunda depot fire.

The prime minister witnessed the force's parade and took the state salute.

The firemen also gave salute to the prime minister wearing the most modern fire-distinguishing dresses.

The force's personnel also staged various techniques on how to douse fire, rescue people and secure their own life using various world's most modern machinery that included remote control vehicles, the world's tallest turntable ladders vehicles having a height of 68 metres.