Police tips Hotel employees on fire safety

The Fire and and Rescue Brigade (FRB) has resumed its awareness in fire emergencies and precautionary measures in a bid to further curb fire outbreaks, which are largely attributed to reckless human behaviours.

On Friday, November 24, fire safety practical session was extended to employees of Eco Air Hotel in Gasabo District.

Some 226 fire causes have been recorded across the country, between January and October, this year, the majority 146 in Kigali.

The Eastern Province recorded 39 cases, 16 in the Western, 15 in the Northern and 10 in the Southern Province.

At least 46 fire outbreaks occurred in August, this highest compared to other months while the least 12 cases were recorded in March.

“There has been a decrease in the number of fire outbreak cases over the years largely due to this fire education programme, which also combines inspection of public facilities to ensure that they meet the fire safety standards.

Also, construction permits incorporate standard fire safety measures. All these impact on the safety of buildings and the people,” ACP Paul Gatambira, the Commanding Officer for FRB, said.

He added that despite these preventive measures, human behaviours continue to ignite fires.

ACP Gatambira said: “Most cases are caused by poor electric installation most times done by lay electricians, overloaded installations where you find residential houses being used for businesses that use many electric appliances; overloaded extension cables, reckless use of liquefied petroleum gas or gas cooker and other human behaviours.

This is why were are conducting mass education on fire safety to minimize such reckless practices that lead to destruction of property, losses in business and sometimes loss of lives.”

In the next two month, the FRB will conduct fire safety awareness and inspection in schools, hospitality establishments such as hotels and health facilities, public, private and commercial facilities, taxi-parks, and markets, among others.