Bulawayo receives four new fire tenders from Belarus

Bulawayo (New Ziana) The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) on Thursday received four state of the art fire tenders which the government procured from Belarus through devolution funds.

The government procured 133 fire tenders from Belarus which will be distributed to all 92 local authorities with Harare and Bulawayo receiving four each.

Speaking at the handover of the equipment to the local authority at the City Hall, Minister of Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube said the government is committed to ensure the safety of the public and will continuously be on the lookout for opportunities that improve service delivery to the citizens.

“The fire tenders that have been procured from Belarus are crucial for fire safety and prevention and they provide a continuous water supply to fire incidences which is essential for controlling and extinguishing fires.

Ncube said the government realised that the fire tenders are key in maintaining public safety, protecting and reducing risk of fire related incidences.

She said the equipment will improve the rescue team response to fire calls and improve its operational fleet for fire and emergency services.

“I am aware that the city still needs more fire tenders and ambulances to improve in fire and emergencies responses, but I urge you to safeguard this equipment. We need to have sense of ownership in our community,” said Ncube.

Speaking on the same occasion, city mayor David Coltart said the fire tenders will close a gap in the fire and rescue department.

“As a council, we have been bemoaning the fact that we have few fire tenders which left our city in an exceptionally vulnerable state. These four fire tenders are going to close a serious gap in fire and rescue department,” he said.

Coltart urged residents and council workers to desist from burning garbage as that has contributed to fires in the city.

“Aside from commending our firefighting department, I also want to implore our citizens to act responsibility so that we can cut down on number of fire incidences.

New Ziana