I have been reading fire science and active in fire risk management and prevention space for the last twenty or so years. This subject continues to intrigue me so much, especially in Africa where fire is not taken seriously, in spite of its ever presence and destructive potential. The preceding assertion is based on my interactions with the main actors in this field in some African countries; my research and my observation over a long period. Many African countries do not invest much in fire protection, as they do in other security elements. Even individuals do not care (or do not know) much about fire safety in their homes or businesses. Whenever fire strikes, it catches business or homeowners unaware. Is it because Africans view fire as an act of nature, just like rain or windfall, which humans have no control over? True, fire is a natural part of the earth’s ecosystem, but unlike other acts of nature, fires in built infrastructure are mostly caused by human behaviour- commissions or omissions; can be prevented or mitigated through precautionary measures and investment in fire-fighting assets and skills. I remember, in 2009 visiting a horror scene, that Buddo Junior School in Uganda had become, after 20 children died in an inferno that had engulfed the school at night, dormitories and gates locked, staff out on errands, nobody on site to help the kids out. The school did not have any fire safety measures or rules in place; possibly, as any school in many an African country. From Buddo Junior School, we inspected many other locations, including Owino Market in the heart of the capital, Kampala, where over 800,000 people mostly women, vend various types of goods each day. My British colleague, shocked by the lack of fire protection measures and a fire safety culture wherever we went, asked a Ugandan senior security officer walking with us ‘’How’s this market protected against fire?’’. ‘’The major problem we have here are thieves’’ the officer responded, casually, without as much giving a thought to the serious question! Three months later Owino market was ablaze; and many times thereafter, the market caught fire, destroying many livelihoods! The casual way this Ugandan officer responded to a very serious question, cuts across most of Africa, and shows how Africans view fire! Back home, I witnessed Agakiriro fire incident in Gisozi last month (May 30th) and saw RNP’s Fire and Rescue Brigade (FRB) personnel in action. Before I arrived in Kigali from Musanze, a senior RNP officer had told me ‘’Mugabo, this fire is strange; it jumps some structures and catches the ones far apart’. I told him that must be due to radiation. Intense radiated heat can be attracted by the most flammable material in the vicinity; say if there is kerosene or paint inside one structure, the fire will ‘jump’ other structures and go straight for that one with kerosene. Without delving deep into theories of heat movement, heat (fire) travels through conduction (solid objects), convection (flammable liquids) and radiation (flammable gas or just air). In Agakiriro situation, most structures stored various types of wood/timber. Some structures had paint, thinner and other flammable liquids inside. Spoilt for choice between wood and highly flammable liquids, fire will skip the wood and jump to the flammables. That is why a prior and continuous risk assessment by fire- fighting officers is necessary and very important, to determine whether to deploy defensive or offensive fire attack tactics or both, in a two-pronged approach. In defensive firefighting, fire fighters focus on protecting exposures and preventing fire spread from exterior of the burning structure. While offensive fire attack refers to an aggressive assault on the fire from within the burning structure, if conditions permit firefighters to enter the building and engage the fire at its origin. These tactics can also be adopted interchangeably, as the fire situation evolves. As Rwanda’s social and economic fortunes continue to evolve, we all need to learn the basics of fire prevention to protect our hard-earned assets and ourselves. We cannot just leave it only to the Police! The author is the Managing Director of MuGOLDS International Ltd, a fire risk management consultancy firm based in Kigali.
