Schools urged to install fire-fighting gear
Apr 17, 2008
SCHOOLS have been urged to install fire safety equipment to prevent deaths and loss of property.
By Joseph Kariuki
SCHOOLS have been urged to install fire safety equipment to prevent deaths and loss of property.
The primary education commissioner in the education ministry, Araali Kusemererwa, said many people had died or got injured in fires worldwide.
He added that in developed countries, fire departments inspect buildings to ensure that they have exit and safety doors.
“But this is not the case in Uganda. In some schools, classrooms are used as dormitories. This is unacceptable,†Kusemererwa noted.
The commissioner, who has two pupils at Budo Junior School whose dormitory was burnt on Monday and 19 children perished, suggested that teachers and students should be trained to fight fires.
“What I saw at Budo Junior was heart-breaking. Children and parents were wailing everywhere.â€
Kusemererwa was on Tuesday handing over fire fighting equipment Lion Assurance donated to Lohana Academy in Kampala. The managing director of Lion Assurance, Geoffrey Kihuguru, said the donation was aimed at fighting fires in schools, adding that Lohana and Gayaza High School had received equipment worth sh15m.
He appealed to the education ministry to ensure that all schools adhere to safety standards.
“We plan to extend this programme to other schools to promote awareness of the need for communities to take a more proactive interest in the protection of lives and property,†Kihuguru explained.
“Prevention will always be better than cure. Insurance is the best defence.â€
SCHOOLS have been urged to install fire safety equipment to prevent deaths and loss of property.
The primary education commissioner in the education ministry, Araali Kusemererwa, said many people had died or got injured in fires worldwide.
He added that in developed countries, fire departments inspect buildings to ensure that they have exit and safety doors.
“But this is not the case in Uganda. In some schools, classrooms are used as dormitories. This is unacceptable,†Kusemererwa noted.
The commissioner, who has two pupils at Budo Junior School whose dormitory was burnt on Monday and 19 children perished, suggested that teachers and students should be trained to fight fires.
“What I saw at Budo Junior was heart-breaking. Children and parents were wailing everywhere.â€
Kusemererwa was on Tuesday handing over fire fighting equipment Lion Assurance donated to Lohana Academy in Kampala. The managing director of Lion Assurance, Geoffrey Kihuguru, said the donation was aimed at fighting fires in schools, adding that Lohana and Gayaza High School had received equipment worth sh15m.
He appealed to the education ministry to ensure that all schools adhere to safety standards.
“We plan to extend this programme to other schools to promote awareness of the need for communities to take a more proactive interest in the protection of lives and property,†Kihuguru explained.
“Prevention will always be better than cure. Insurance is the best defence.â€