Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
TWENTY-ONE firefighters drawn from Beitbridge Town and the Rural District Council have graduated after completing a two-and-a-half-month training programme to protect lives and property in the strategic border town.
The six women and 15 men graduated at a ceremony held in Beitbridge recently after being trained by instructors from the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ).
As part of the programme, the fire fighters were trained on; elements of combustion and fire extinction, practical firemanship, firefighting equipment, fire brigade communication, pump operations and hydraulic systems.
Other aspects of the course are training on foam and foam equipment, building construction, basic fire prevention, incidents involving aircraft crashes, road traffic collisions and rescue and the introduction to hazardous materials.
The graduation of the fire fighters marks a major step in strengthening emergency services under the devolution programme.
Where do these firefighters end up? In the Middle East. There are so many Zimbabwean firefighters in countries like Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain even Israel. Many of them were trained in the country and left after completing the training. Government must put conditions that limit such movement. Zimbabwe cannot afford to be a training ground for other countries.