Improve firefighting services

Government should also install more fire hydrants and make sure that they are operational.

On Thursday last week, a fire gutted a large part of Kyamuka Zone in Kamwokya, a Kampala City suburb.

Two people, a woman and a man, lost their lives and several people were injured including fire fighters who were battling the inferno. 

The fire razed residential houses, shops and workshops, among others, in the area. Residents accused the fire brigade of arriving more than 30 minutes after they were alerted.

However, the fire brigade says they were impeded by lack of clear access routes. Kyamuka Zone is in a congested slum area where residents live in and conduct businesses in makeshift wooden structures.

What happened in Kyamuka Zone, leaving hundreds of people homeless, is a usual occurrence whenever fire breaks out in Kampala City and other urban areas.

Many residents of urban areas live in unplanned, congested settlements where no provision is made for response to emergencies such as fire outbreaks.

Many houses in urban areas can only be accessed via footpaths, making it hard for the fire brigade to do its work.

Besides, most of the houses in slum areas are constructed from wood--a highly combustible material, and built so close to each other, aiding the spread of fire.

It is incumbent upon government to rid urban areas of slums through construction of safe, decent low-cost housing units with clear access routes.

The police fire brigade have on several occasions arrived late whenever called to come to the rescue. However, even when they arrive on time, whenever the fire trucks run out of water, the process of refilling them is another hurdle since there are few fire hydrants in urban areas. Many of the few available ones are not functional.

Sometimes the fire fighters are forced to drive several kilometres away to refill the fire trucks and back to the scene while the fire rages. The late arrival of the fire brigade is partly due to a shortage of fire trucks. Police in many districts do not have a fire-fighting department and have to rely on fire trucks based in other districts several miles away.

There is need for more funding for the police fire department to buy more fire trucks and other firefighting equipment and train more fire fighters for deployment countrywide.

Government should also install more fire hydrants and make sure that they are operational to protect people and their property from fires.

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