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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Districts team up to offer community fire awareness |28 March 2012

A workshop was held for them at the Berjaya Bay resort which started with lunch given by the hotel.

Also present for the occasion was the Bel Ombre member of National Assembly Galen Bresson, acting district administrators for the two districts, general manager of the resort Ken Choo, head teachers and students.

The workshop was initiated by the resort with input from the community development department and the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency.

Special adviser to the minister on community development Dan Frichot thanked Mr Choo for his “excellent endeavour”.

“Such pro-activeness and good intention towards ensuring a safe community is in line with the department’s vision and one of its priority areas of action aiming at creating opportunities for more engaged public/private partnership in community development, and we are deeply grateful to Mr Choo for the noble contribution in improving community welfare,” he said.

“We need to remind ourselves that fires cost lives, they destroy property and drain resources. Investing in ‘fire-free’ communities is being engaged in building safer communities,” he said.

Mr Frichot also called on other private organisations to follow the initiative and see how best they can contribute towards making their communities safer as well as joining their communities in finding solutions to local problems.
Chief fire officer Andre Morel said many fires can been avoided, citing examples of how simple acts of negligence have cost people dearly.

“Fires which are accidents can and do happen, but it is most sad when fires destroy property due to negligence especially since it costs a family and the government so much to replace and rebuild, and that’s why we place so much emphasis on awareness and prevention.”

The residents looked at a fire engine outside and learned about its surprisingly many functions besides fire-fighting such as its ability to serve in rescue operations.

Jones Madeleine – who was leading the workshop – showed them some of the equipment fire fighters use in the truck, such as fire extinguishers, hydraulic cutters, spreader, water pumps, breathing apparatus, chainsaws and chemical suits.

The residents learned about the common causes of fire and hazards, classification of fire and best extinguishing media for fires. Other topics included negligence at home, fire safety equipment and their related products and instructions on how best to deal with a fire in the various situations one might encounter.

The fire fighters showed them how to deal with fires, for example if a person was aflame.
The residents got certificates at the end of the workshop. Mr Choo said other hotel groups have expressed interest in hosting similar workshops.

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