Prime
Police defend delays in responding to fires
Busoga North police spokesperson, Michael Kasadha.
What you need to know:
The officer-in-charge of the fire brigade in Kamuli District, Inspector of Police Mohamed Jakoria, urged the public to get firefighting skills at home and warned against leaving electrical appliances on as they leave for work, saying it is the common cause of fires
Police in Kamuli District have defended their perceived delays in responding to fires, saying most distress calls are made to “ordinary officers who are busy” and by the time the fire brigade is called, the fire will be in advanced stages.
The officer-in-charge of the fire brigade in Kamuli District, Inspector of Police Mohamed Jakoria, urged the public to get firefighting skills at home and warned against leaving electrical appliances on as they leave for work, saying it is the common cause of fires.
“Better get firefighting skills and always call us directly instead of going through other officers, and we shall respond instantly,” he said during the training of Plan International Kamuli Programme Area staff on fire safety.
The Busoga North Police Spokesperson, Mr Michael Kasadha, urged the trainees to be vigilant and report any incident they suspect is a threat to security, including fires and arsons.
The Program Area Manager Plan International-Kamuli, Ms Zaituna Asio, in a message, said the fire safety training for the staff was to secure the employees, and premises and have them empowered to prevent, respond, and mitigate fire incidents effectively both at the workplace and at home.
“As an organisation, we value the safety and integrity of our staff and property and want to ensure that they are able to identify key risks within our office premises and have knowledge of how to better protect themselves from fire hazards,” she explained.
Mr Anthony Olweny, a staff member, urged the police fire brigade not to limit themselves to fighting fires, but to also teach institutions how to prevent and fight them.
“There should be more police involvement in ensuring the safety of institutions and advocating for the affordability of home fire extinguishers,” he said.
Mr Dan Ngobi, a community development facilitator, said he learnt a lot from things previously taken for granted, including the use of carbon dioxide powders, and local ways of preventing fires.
