Fire Safety Act Soon!
The Chief Fire Officer of National Fire Force (NFF), Mr. Nassir Kamanda-Bongay, has informed that the Fire Force Safety Bill is now with the Law Officers Department for onward transmission to Parliament for enactment.
According to the NFF Commander, the Bill seeks to provide fire preventions and enforcing powers.
Addressing the Government’s weekly press briefing last Thursday, Mr. Nassir Kamanda-Bongay reiterated that there had been an alarming increase in fire incidents in the country since mid November last years.
He disclosed that between mid Novembers to date, about 342 fire incidents have been registered, adding that in January about 41 fire incidents were combated in Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni.
The NFF boss attributed the difficulties in fire fighting in the capital to the limited number of hydrants.
He disclose that there are 299 hydrants in Freetown but only 2 are currently functioning at the Light in Brookfields and Femi Turner Drive at Goderich in the Western Area Rural District on which the two million residents in the capital depend.
On the contrary, the Chief Fire Officer said there is less traffic and abundant water in the provinces which enhances fire fighting in provincial cities and towns.
He cited the fire incident at Sani Abacha Street on Friday 29th January, 2016, when the NFF had to bring in fire engine from Kissy east since the hydrant at the Light in Brookfields was not functioning.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nassir Kamanda-Bongay has disclosed that the German Government has presented to the Government of Sierra Leone two fire engines, a rescue tender and twenty feet container of firefighting equipment which are parked at the FNN Headquarters undergoing inspection.
Also in a related development, the Outreach Coordinator in the Office of the President, Abdulai Bayraytay, has claimed that the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) has handed over footages of Sierra Leoneans throwing stones at one of the fire engines.
He warned that anyone identified in the video footages would face the full penalty of the law.
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