Police to improve fire brigade section
Apr 09, 2009
THE Police plans to build more fire stations in Kampala and acquire more equipment, the inspector general, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, has said.
By Eddie Ssejjoba
THE Police plans to build more fire stations in Kampala and acquire more equipment, the inspector general, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, has said.
He said fire outbreaks were a big threat and asked the Police human resource development and management units to build a stronger force to tackle the challenge.
Kayihura was on Wednesday passing out two cadet fire fighters and an in-service trainee at the headquarters in Kampala.
He lamented that the response to fire was still slow and inadequate.
“You must improve on response. Even here, you took too long to extinguish the tires that you put out for demonstration,†he said.
He directed for more refresher courses, saying demands for fire fighting and rescue missions were on the increase.
“The fire station was built when Kampala had only seven hills but it now covers Entebbe and Wakiso,†he said.
He asked the trainers to put more emphasis on prevention than on reactionary measures. “No one has ever come to my office to sensitise me on how to stop fire.
Suppose fire starts at the headquarters, what happens when no one has been taught to fight it?†he asked.
Kayihura directed the fire personnel to put up toll-free hotlines.
The chief fire officer, Lawrence Okullo Adima, said the brigade lacked facilities for training on emergency response missions.
He also asked for training courses for divers saying the only two serving ones were aging and unable to tackle serious assignments.
THE Police plans to build more fire stations in Kampala and acquire more equipment, the inspector general, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, has said.
He said fire outbreaks were a big threat and asked the Police human resource development and management units to build a stronger force to tackle the challenge.
Kayihura was on Wednesday passing out two cadet fire fighters and an in-service trainee at the headquarters in Kampala.
He lamented that the response to fire was still slow and inadequate.
“You must improve on response. Even here, you took too long to extinguish the tires that you put out for demonstration,†he said.
He directed for more refresher courses, saying demands for fire fighting and rescue missions were on the increase.
“The fire station was built when Kampala had only seven hills but it now covers Entebbe and Wakiso,†he said.
He asked the trainers to put more emphasis on prevention than on reactionary measures. “No one has ever come to my office to sensitise me on how to stop fire.
Suppose fire starts at the headquarters, what happens when no one has been taught to fight it?†he asked.
Kayihura directed the fire personnel to put up toll-free hotlines.
The chief fire officer, Lawrence Okullo Adima, said the brigade lacked facilities for training on emergency response missions.
He also asked for training courses for divers saying the only two serving ones were aging and unable to tackle serious assignments.