WE CAN COLLECTIVELY STOP FIRES
Apr 08, 2009
<b>TALKBACK</b><br><br>RECENTLY, in Our Community, you run a story that implied that urban authorities had a leading responsibility to stop the fires that have lately been gutting buildings, destroying property and killing people. This is true since it
TALKBACK
BY SIRAJE SSERUNJOGI
RECENTLY, in Our Community, you run a story that implied that urban authorities had a leading responsibility to stop the fires that have lately been gutting buildings, destroying property and killing people. This is true since it is even enshrined in the Local Government Act and the Municipality Act. But it takes more than the local leaders’ efforts to fight fires. What have you done, as a community member, to stop fire outbreaks?
Police statistics show that there have been 95 school fires in the past year and six market fires in the last one month. The impact of these fires would not have been that big, if the community was more involved.
If there are inflammable materials around, it takes a fire about five minutes to get out of control. So, the best way to handle this fire is by detecting it early. This is why every facility needs a smoke detector which also senses smoke that is not visible to the eye.
At times, the time lapse between the smoke and actual fire might be short, but this still gives the person with a detector an edge.
Smoke detectors make piercing alarms that can be heard hundreds of metres away. It costs sh120,000, but can save you property worth billions. After detecting the fire, use a fire extinguisher. Most fires start small and can be handled by a small fire extinguisher which costs sh150,000.
The Police threatened to close schools that do not guard against fire outbreaks. I do not think the school owners should wait for police threats to prepare for fires.
Likewise, for those who want to do business or take their children to school, they should first ask the following questions: Does this school have fire-related detectors and extinguishers? Has this building got the necessary fire equipment? In developed countries, all buildings are obliged to have this equipment. Why don’t we have them in Uganda? A survey shows that few buildings have these facilities.
The Police can also teach the community how to use the fire equipment.
The writer is the managing director, Kikonge Investments, Katwe
BY SIRAJE SSERUNJOGI
RECENTLY, in Our Community, you run a story that implied that urban authorities had a leading responsibility to stop the fires that have lately been gutting buildings, destroying property and killing people. This is true since it is even enshrined in the Local Government Act and the Municipality Act. But it takes more than the local leaders’ efforts to fight fires. What have you done, as a community member, to stop fire outbreaks?
Police statistics show that there have been 95 school fires in the past year and six market fires in the last one month. The impact of these fires would not have been that big, if the community was more involved.
If there are inflammable materials around, it takes a fire about five minutes to get out of control. So, the best way to handle this fire is by detecting it early. This is why every facility needs a smoke detector which also senses smoke that is not visible to the eye.
At times, the time lapse between the smoke and actual fire might be short, but this still gives the person with a detector an edge.
Smoke detectors make piercing alarms that can be heard hundreds of metres away. It costs sh120,000, but can save you property worth billions. After detecting the fire, use a fire extinguisher. Most fires start small and can be handled by a small fire extinguisher which costs sh150,000.
The Police threatened to close schools that do not guard against fire outbreaks. I do not think the school owners should wait for police threats to prepare for fires.
Likewise, for those who want to do business or take their children to school, they should first ask the following questions: Does this school have fire-related detectors and extinguishers? Has this building got the necessary fire equipment? In developed countries, all buildings are obliged to have this equipment. Why don’t we have them in Uganda? A survey shows that few buildings have these facilities.
The Police can also teach the community how to use the fire equipment.
The writer is the managing director, Kikonge Investments, Katwe