Kinyarwanda
English
The Rwanda National Police (RNP) has launched nationwide fire safety awareness and inspection campaign aimed at strengthening public participation in preventing and responding to fire outbreaks.
The campaign commenced on Tuesday, November 3, in various districts of the Eastern Province before extending to districts in the Northern and Western provinces. It is expected to conclude in the Southern Province.
It targets a wide range of stakeholders, including hotel owners and employees, market operators, carpentry workshops, blacksmithing and metalworking workshops, managers of complex buildings, security forces, District Administration Security Support Organ (DASSO) personnel, private security companies, and professional community patrol groups (Irondo ry’umwuga).
Speaking about the initiative, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Paul Gatambira, the Commanding Officer of the Fire and Rescue Brigade (FRB), said the campaign follows an increase in fire incidents in recent days, prompting the Police to adopt a more inclusive approach to fire prevention and response.
He explained that the new approach involves engaging different stakeholders across the country and equipping them with basic knowledge about the causes of fire outbreaks, preventive measures, and appropriate responses when fires occur.
"Following the increase in fire outbreaks recently, we realized that we needed to change our approach to these awareness campaigns by engaging different stakeholders across the country and equipping them with basic knowledge about the causes of fires, how to prevent them and how to respond," ACP Gatambira said.
He added that the initiative seeks to ensure that members of the public can recognize potential fire hazards, promptly alert the Police, and use available firefighting equipment to contain fires before emergency responders arrive.
According to ACP Gatambira, early intervention can prevent fires from spreading and reduce damage to property, making it easier for firefighters to extinguish them completely.
The campaign also seeks to expand the number of people actively involved in fire prevention and response by encouraging communities to work alongside the Police rather than leaving firefighting responsibilities solely to law enforcement agencies.
"We want to increase the number of people working together with the public in fighting fires. Fire prevention and response should not be the responsibility of the Police alone; everyone should play a role. By training members of the public, we are creating force multipliers who can strengthen our firefighting efforts," he said.
He noted that the training is intended to change public attitudes towards fire incidents, encouraging people to take appropriate action instead of simply running away whenever they see a fire.
He explained that people should be able to quickly retrieve available fire extinguishers and use them to tackle small fires before they develop into major incidents, as long as the situation does not put their lives at risk.
ACP Gatambira particularly urged welders to ensure that fire extinguishers are always kept within reach whenever they are carrying out welding activities.
He warned against leaving firefighting equipment inside buildings while conducting welding work outside, explaining that delays in accessing an extinguisher during an emergency can allow a fire to intensify and become more difficult to control.
The Police commander also urged residents, business operators and institutions to acquire fire extinguishers for their homes, markets and workplaces to improve preparedness and enable immediate responses to fire incidents.
In addition to fire extinguishers, he emphasized the importance of installing water hydrants and regularly checking them to ensure that they have sufficient water for firefighting operations.
"When firefighters run out of water, they sometimes have to travel long distances to refill their tanks. By the time they return, the fire may have intensified and spread further. Having functional water hydrants nearby would make it easier for us to access water quickly and respond more effectively," he explained.
ACP Gatambira further reassured the public that the Police have the capacity to respond to and extinguish different types of fires, particularly when incidents are reported promptly.
