•FIRE-Fighting engine

By CHRISTINE MWAABA –

WHENEVER fire breaks out in Lusaka, the fire brigade is seen going back and forth to the station while meandering through a long queue of cars to try and replenish its tanker.
While the fire engine is trying to meander through heavy traffic, on the other side, the fire keeps raging, burning property.
But the question is why the fire brigade could to go back to the station to refill the tank or call for reinforcement from the Zambia Air Force to quench a relatively ‘small fire’ if the hydrants dotted around the cities were up and running?
The answer is: Fire hydrants have been vandalised.
Lusaka City Council (LCC) admitted that the fire-fighting department was under-performing leading to the failure in quenching most fire incidences in the city.
This is in the wake of recent reports of poor fire-fighting services recorded by the fire brigade in Lusaka mainly because of dilapidated, vandalised or hidden fire hydrants.
LCC public relations manager Habeenzu Mulunda said the fire-fighting department had in the recent past faced challenges in its operations because of outdated hydrants.
Many times, the fire tender has been seen drawing water from the main fire station but faces challenges passing through the thicket of traffic jams and street vendors.
A recent check by the Times revealed that despite having inadequate fire hydrants in the city, most of these points are inaccessible because street vendors have mounted makeshift stands on top of which they have put their goods.
But Mr Mulunda said this was less of a problem as the vendors would be moved in an event that there was need to draw water from the same point.
“Trading on top of a hydrant is not a problem because we can easily move the vendors out should we need to draw water from that particular point,” he said.
Other than the vendors’ obstruction, some fire hydrant points are reportedly abused for watering or are punctured by people conducting car wash business.
LWSC has refurbished 100 fire hydrants and has put up 62 new fire points in a bid to improve access to water close to the fire scene, but some vendors have unknowingly mounted tables on the hydrants.
Public relations manager Topsy Siakalinda said the water utility firm was refurbishing and putting up more fire hydrants although some people had opened them for wrong uses.
“We have had situations where people have been abusing fire hydrants,” Mr Siakalinda said.
“What they don’t know is that it is a criminal offense to use water from these hydrants for anything else apart from what it is meant for.”
Lusaka fire brigade station officer Peter Mutonga said, unfortunately, most water hydrants were obstructed by illegally-parked cars or trucks, derelict vehicles as well as piles of rubbish.
Mr Mutonga said in some cases they were blocked or buried, a situation he said would make it impossible to use them if there was a fire outbreak.
“Most water hydrants are inaccessible as people have buried them because they want to put up some landscaping or gardens, especially in residential areas.
“The only things we are able to see are the letters (FH), which indicates that it is a fire hydrant.”
Mr Mutonga raised concern on blocked water hydrants in residential areas like Kabulonga and others by encroachments.
Mr Mutonga said the fire-fighting department may under-perform because of blocked water hydrants.
“Most of the times the fire tenders draw water from the main water point, which is a challenge especially if the fire is enormous because you need a lot of water to put it out,” he said.
Mr Mutonga said during a fire emergency, which may include bush or house fire, it was important for fire rescuers to have access to water hydrants.
Damaging a hydrant could cause serious problems for fire-fighters battling to stop flames from destroying someone’s home or even claiming lives.
Mr Mutonga said it was essential that a number of fire hydrants were ubiquitous and remained highly built-up in many places to avoid loss of lives or property.
He appealed for a strong fire policy so that the public could not impinge on the safety of water hydrants.
“This is why the public can easily abuse hydrants for watering by puncturing the pipes and diverting water for purposes such as car washing,” he said.
“When you check the old map, you find that the area around Intercity has a number of water hydrants in case of a fire within Lusaka city.
“Other townships like Chawama, Mtendere, Kanyama and Chipata have fire hydrants as well,” he said.
According to the Water and Sanitation Act number 28 Section 32, anyone who tampers with the hydrant is liable for a criminal office.
Water hydrants should usually be situated on visible points with the marking FH to indicate the presence of the facility.
Visible and operational water hydrants help fire-fighters to quickly access water, control fire and prevent extensive damage to property.
In addition, a hydrant should be firmly fixed to the ground and away from any other elements that can damage it.
Because emergencies occur anytime, water hydrants act as storage for water supply.
Water hydrants should have a permanent water supply so that they are always ready for use at any time.
Depriving fire-fighters of water hydrants will surely delay the process of putting down flames.
Even if they work once in a while they should not be overlooked.
The importance of maintaining the standards of water hydrants will surely save lives and property.
To prevent casual use, misuse, or blockage, the hydrant should have special tools to be opened.
A water hydrant should be in a safeguarded cubicle to fight a fire in case of any fire emergency.
While others have buried them to enable them put up their own structures forgoing the assistance that hydrants provide, this is the much-needed facility.
Informing the general public about the fire significance of the hydrants is of great importance to avoid losing lives and property. Limitations on the effectiveness of hydrants, as a water supply, may greatly affect the service when water is not available in their tanks.
Operational water hydrants are essential and the unavailability of this facility can have potentially fatal consequences.
Inadequate water supply can hamper the work of fire-fighters and ultimately endanger people’s lives and property.
Water hydrants can reduce the risk of running out of water supplies to thousands of homes and affected communities, including care homes, medical centres, hospitals, schools and business entities when it is mostly needed.
Hydrants may seem to be unnecessary to many people but can result in thousands of property lose and lives.
In view of this fact if there is need to ensure adequate inspection and maintenance by the local fire department or water authority.
Water hydrants need to be operational for easy access or use by people for their intended purpose.