English
Kinyarwanda
In October last year, a restaurant in Kisementi, Gasabo District, was engulfed in a raging fire caused by activities of metal wielders. The fire caused massive damage to the building and equipment before it was effectively put out by the Fire and Rescue Brigade.
In the same month, a residential house in Kinyinya caught fire resulting from an electricity short circuit; firefighters intervened efficiently and the fire was prevented from spreading to neighboring premises.
These two incidences are some of the 118 fire outbreaks in 2014, indicating a steady increase of recorded incidences at 88 in the previous year, all of which were successfully suppressed.
When the Fire and Rescue Brigade was inaugurated in 2000, it only had one fire truck and a handful of well trained personnel to respond when emergences arose.
Clearly, their capacity was overwhelmed at the time and once too often, some fires claimed more lives and property than they would have due to inappropriate response.
However, slowly but surely, the department has been beefed with both modern equipment and an increased number of personnel with updated firefighting techniques to respond efficiently to fire disasters.
The department which is located at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) headquarters in Kacyiru currently boasts seven firefighting and rescue trucks, which are well equipped with modern tools and technology to extinguish fires of any nature in as little time as possible.
One of the trucks is a special vehicle with capacity to salvage a fire outbreak of up to the 20th floor of storey buildings. It also has a 55-metre ladder that can enable trapped people to climb down while the fire is put out.
According to the Commanding Officer of the Fire and Rescue Brigade, Superintendent David Kabuye, the Force boasts 98 firefighters and rescue personnel, who are trained in both general firefighting techniques and specialized areas of expertise.
Additionally, the first ever firefighting course at the Police Training School in Gishari, Rwamagana District, was successfully concluded last week, with 60 police officers who will significantly contribute to the existing firefighting and rescue team.
Police continuously offers such trainings to both officers and interested citizens in order to increase their general knowledge and skills on how to avert fire outbreaks.
“If all the right procedures and conditions apply, it would take at least ten minutes for a firefighting team to arrive at the scene and stop the fire before it spreads. Literally speaking, information is the key – that is why fire outbreaks must be reported to the Police as soon as possible,” Superintendent Kabuye said.
The force established a toll free number, 111, which citizens can call for emergency in case of a fire outbreak.
He added that the initial step of any firefighting operation is to search for the origin of the fire and identify specific risks and any possible casualties.
“The firefighting trucks we have are made of two components; a water chamber and a foam chamber. Therefore, when fighting a problematic fire, one must understand its cause and know exactly what substance to apply to extinguish it,” he said.
“We also have the expertise and tools to rescue people who may be trapped inside burning buildings. Our general advice to Rwandans is; don’t give fire a place to start.”
Whereas most fire outbreaks are recorded within busy Kigali suburbs, Police understands that such plagues are unplanned and can happen anywhere in the country. It is in this light that Police is planning to rollout more firefighting equipment and personnel in each province.
“Four new firefighting trucks will arrive shortly and they will be deployed to the four other provinces in order to respond to emergencies. Our goal is to be available wherever fires occur and save lives, property and the environment,” he said.
On top of responding to fire outbreaks, preventing them from starting is crucial, and according to Superintendent Kabuye, part of the firefighters’ duty is to educate the public about fire safety and conducting fire inspections in all buildings.
“Causes of fire outbreaks in Rwanda are mainly; old electric wirings, overloading, carelessness, arson and ignorance. There is a wrong an assumption that fires are unpredictable, yet in reality, they usually occur out of avoidable circumstances. Therefore it is paramount to sensitize the public on how to avoid causing fires,” he said.
“Officers regularly reach out to business owners and building proprietors and remind them to adhere to essential fire safety measures like installing fire extinguishers and fire hydrants in their premises.”
On top of firefighting, the operational Fire and Rescue Brigade conducts other rescue missions, for example, when people are trapped in a building, or when someone has fallen in a manhole, as well as in times of natural disasters like floods and landslides.
