Editor, In the story, “How fast is firefighting response mechanism?” (The New Times, July 17), it was pointed out that there are just two fire hydrants in the City of Kigali that can help in the event of a fire outbreak.
Editor,
In the story, "How fast is firefighting response mechanism?” (The New Times, July 17), it was pointed out that there are just two fire hydrants in the City of Kigali that can help in the event of a fire outbreak.
A police spokesperson was quoted as saying that "there are only two fire hydrants which fit to our hosepipes...” So whose fault is it that the others are just useless pieces of decoration? How is this supposed to help the public?
John, Rwanda
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That’s a very good question; I believe the other fire hydrants such as that at Kigali City Tower are privately installed with full capacity to extinguish fire "only” at the same buildings where they are installed. For instance, the one at Kigali City Tower is meant to serve that building and probably help neighbours who are within 300-metre range.
So the solution lies in installing more public hydrants in specific areas as per the city master plan as well as each building having their own fire hydrant systems. It is time for the six-month ultimatum to be strictly enforced.
Eric, Rwanda