KCCA staff flee in fire drill stampede

A stampede ensued at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) headquarters yesterday morning when staff mistook a fire drill at the premises for an explosion and started fleeing the Mayor’s Parlour.

The KCCA fire master, Mr Richard Rugasira, and his team set up a planned fire drill in the Mayor’s Parlour and then came an alarm, which saw staff scrambling for the nearest entrance out of the building.
The place was surrounded by police fire brigade with fire trucks, causing more fear.

However shortly after, Mr Rugasira invited all staff and addressed them.
“Whenever you notice there is fire, do not think about your property, move faster and get out of the premises because your life is important. I congratulate those who ran away for their dear lives, though I saw the managing director moving majestically,” he said.

The KCCA executive director, Ms Dorothy Kisaka, in her remarks said it is important to sensitise people about how to manage fire incidents.

“Do you remember what happened to the Makerere University Main Building? We do not want this to happen at KCCA premises and other offices, including our homes. We have the available budget to contain fire incidents, particularly in KCCA premises,” she noted.

Ms Kisaka contended that the risk of fire, especially in Kampala, is real and congratulated staff who moved out of the building immediately.
“Each of the buildings, especially offices, must have fire fighting systems and once a warning is given, please runaway for your safety,” she warned.

Mr Hassan Kihande, the deputy director-in-charge of risks at the police fire brigade, explained that fire hazards in Kampala is a huge challenge yet his team is not well equipped to handle.

“When Kampala  City was established, a number of fire hydrants, which are connection points, were established by fire fighters for tapping water supply in various places of the city,” Mr Kihande said.

“Over time since the city has developed, some of the hydrants were destroyed and other buildings constructed on them. We are trying to establish the fire hydrants once again. We have done this in Rubaga, Makindye, Kawempe divisions but Nakawa division is still lagging behind,” he added.

Mr Kihande noted that fires that occur on small scale can be managed by portable fire extinguishers. But there are class B fires caused by liquids such as paraffin, petrol or diesel. In this case people are advised to use carbon dioxide or fire fighting foam, which can be powdery or liquid. 

He said fires caused by electrical appliances in homes and vehicles can be managed in the same way depending on the volume.
However, for fires of huge flames, water with high pressure will be used to extinguish them.

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