A team of six police officers is conducting inspection of fire fighting readiness in public facilities in Karongi District.

 The aim of the inspection, according to the District Community Liaison Officer, Inspector of Police Jean Baptiste Rutebuka, is to know the status of these facilities, if they have fire extinguishers and other required firefighting kits.

Rutebuka said identifying the status also helps the Police to identify focus areas when it comes to public sensitisation against fire outbreaks.

 "We visited 42 facilities including schools, hotels, markets, petrol stations, shops and financial institutions. We discovered that most of these facilities either didn’t have fire extinguishers or hadn’t been refilled in a while,” said IP Rutebuka who led the six-man inspection team.

  "Wherever we find a problem we advise them to fix it by either acquiring new equipment of refilling fire extinguishers in not less than two weeks. After two weeks we will go back to train them on how to use them,” he said.

IP Rutebuka added that the inspection was in the spirit of prevention.

"We don’t want to start teaching people how to put out fire when its too late. We also want the public to comply with firefighting regulations and provide quick reports in case of fire outbreak for quick response.”

 Statistics from Police Fire and Rescue Brigade indicate that about 100 fire outbreaks occurred throughout the country in 2015, claiming at least six lives and injuring five others.

Major fire outbreaks resulted from careless usage of flammable substances, faulty wiring and reckless use of electrical appliances that are likely to happen in public places.

 "When fire breaks out, not only the structure affected and owner or occupants are at risk but also surrounding communities. That is why it is strongly advisable to have fire extinguishers especially in public facilities and also alert Police because we have the expertise and equipment to extinguish such fires before they can cause mass damage and lead to loss of life,” IP Rutebuka said.

 Part of what Rutebuka advised leaders of public facilities is to never forget to turn off and unplug all electrical appliances after use, as well as, keep matchsticks and inflammable substances out of reach.

 "Avoid fixing electrical faults personally when you do not have the skill. Violating the basic rule of aligning, including plugging a charger,  can lead to a spark which may result in fire. Always call professional electricians to fix faults,” he said.

 In a bid to promote police-public partnership in overcoming fire outbreaks, RNP has toll free lines 111, 112 and 0788311120, for anyone to call in case of fire break out.