Your house also needs fire-fighting equipment

Sep 29, 2006

MANY people have seen properties burnt down to ashes, but unfortunately not many have taken the trouble to equip their car, home, office or business with equipment to halt or reduce the fire risk.

MANY people have seen properties burnt down to ashes, but unfortunately not many have taken the trouble to equip their car, home, office or business with equipment to halt or reduce the fire risk, writes Titus Kakembo.

“Many people do not know how to use the kit besides businesses operating without taking any precautionary measures. Children are left at home with house-helps who are often ignorant of how to react when there is a fire,” regrets Dison Nasimal, a fire technician with Fire and Safety Appliances.
“We are fully-stocked with smoke and fire detectors. If sensed an alarm goes off to warn fire stations, the owner of the business and the guard on duty,” said Nasimal.

Jonathan Ndawula, the marketing manager, says, “for between sh150,000 and sh200,000 one could save property and lives of by installing an alarm, a fire extinguisher or fire blanket in one’s home.”

Ronnie Ssebanenya Kyobe, the Kampala central engineer remembers an unfortunate incident when fire gutted a shop in town, but in an effort to put it out, the shopkeeper unplugged the extinguisher off the hook and ran to throw the canister in the fire itself.

Alex Kawooya of Booth Fire Services in Old Kampala, said there is need for sensitisation to help people know the dangers of not installing fir-fighting accessories to their properties.

He explained that storage is another important issue with extinguishers.
“Storing them in hot areas is like setting up a time bomb, which can explode if heated up,” he said.

He cautions that even insurance companies do not compensate fire victims if their equipment was not in good order when it broke out.

There are a variety of fire-fighting equipment on market. One can get drop down equipment like turn-out gear, fire boots, fire fighting bags, extingiushers, helmets, hoods, rescue equipment, extrication gear and tools.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});