Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:40:45 +0000
By Ketra Kalunga
CRITICS of the recently procured 42 fire tenders are being unfair because trainees in basic firefighting have for the past four years been doing theoretical training without the practical component.
Zambia national fire service training school commandant Yona Mwale said this was because the national training school has never had a single fire tender for practical training.
Speaking during a media briefing at his office shortly after the graduation and pass out of 57 firefighters, Mr Mwale said the training school has never had a single fire tender for practical training for the past four years.
He said the fire tenders that government had procured were important for the training school because firefighters undergo training that require them to have a feel of what was expected of them in the event of fire emergency in the community.
Mr Mwale explained that the fire tenders procured by government would enable trainee firefighters handle the water pressure that comes out at 1.7 bars which without adequate training could lead to loss of lives for a firefighter who has not had a feel of the fire tender.
“Critics of the fire tenders are being unfair to the fire service because trainees have for four years been doing theoretical training without the practice component. The training school did not have a single fire tender for practical training which is the important component of the training school,” said Mr Mwale.
He stated that the procurement of fire tenders meant that the training school was almost at 90 percent of producing fully competent and qualified men and women firefighters.
Mr Mwale said it was the hope of the fire service that Zambians would embrace the move taken by government to buy the fire tenders.
And Mr Mwale has called on the private sector to come on board and boost firefighting in the country.
The Zambia national fire service training school produces on average over 100 fire fighters from both public which are councils and private institutions like the mines every year.
