Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
The Gwanda Municipality has attributed a recent incident, in which their fire team used a small dish to extinguish a fire, to a failure by the firefighting team to follow standard operating procedures.
On Monday afternoon, the fire team attended a scene where a Toyota Runx vehicle had caught fire just outside the Gwanda business centre due to a mechanical fault.
To the shock of many, the fire team, which consisted of three members, used a small dish offered by a well-wisher – who was reportedly eating isitshwala and beef from it – to put out the fire.
This incident sparked outrage among residents, who expressed a loss of confidence in the municipality’s firefighting services.
In an interview, Gwanda Town Clerk, Ms Priscilla Nkala, reassured the public that the municipality has the capacity to respond to fire incidents.
“On Monday, 18 November 2024, the Municipality of Gwanda received a distress call about a motor vehicle that had caught fire. The fire team responded to the call promptly. However, the leading fireman reported that the vehicle couldn’t engage the gears for proper operation. This led them to improvise a firefighting strategy, which was not ideal for such incidents and also posed a risk to the personnel.
“After a thorough investigation of the incident, it was found that there was no technical fault with the vehicle. There is a need for the fire section of the municipality to follow standard operating procedures to ensure there are no hiccups when duty calls,” she said.
Ms Nkala stressed that the municipality prioritises the safety and well-being of the community and is committed to transparency and accuracy in all its communications.
She assured the public that the fire section will always be ready to respond when duty calls. Ms Nkala also confirmed that corrective measures have been implemented to prevent a similar incident from occurring.
@DubeMatutu
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