They have been struggling to douse fire without proper safety equipments and adequate fire trucks in the Valley which sees an average of three fire related incidents on a single a day. [break]
“These vehicles and the equipment will help fight fire more effectively. The assistance will boost our morale while doing risky jobs," Lila Raj Gachha Magar, Chief of Kathmandu Fire Brigade said.
Apart from the fire truck, the government of UK has provided four portable pumps, breathing apparatus and road emergency devices. Portable pumps will help deal with fire in core city areas, where the big fire trucks cannot enter. With road emergency devices, the fire fighters can cut through vehicles to rescue trapped passengers.
Employees of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) UK collected the shipment cost of te equipment to Nepal. “Employees and their family members deserve thanks for collecting fund by doing different charity works to send this equipment here,” Komal raj Aryal, Research Associate, Disaster and Development Centre at Northumbria University said.
Paul Brownson, training center manager of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) said Nepalese firefighters will get regular training from his organization. He also said Nepalese fire fighters will get training in UK in the future. Brownson along with three other trainers from TWFRS are providing a weeklong training to Nepalese fire fighters. Twenty-seven fire fighters participated in the training. “I hope to come back to provide training to fire fighter in future too,” Brownson said.
Other equipment included fire resistant jackets, boots and oxygen cylinder. It also includes emergency information device through which fire fighter can easily inform their colleagues when they are in a difficult situation while fighting fire inside buildings.
Aryal said fire fighters will get chance to see preparedness of UK´s firefighters during Olympic game. “The fire fighter will see the preparedness of fire brigade at time of big occasion” he said.
Meanwhile, an elderly man died at his home at Bode Lalitpur, on Wednesday when his house was destroyed by fire. Lalitpur fire brigade does not have any working fire trucks since the past 14 months. Fire fighters said the life could have been saved if they had fire trucks.
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