AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Fire and Rescue Force has reminded the public to adhere to safety requirements when constructing buildings, especially taking all precautions against fire accidents.
The Force advised the citizens to submit their house plans to the department for approval on whether the structure meets safety requirements upon occurrence of fire accidents. The Fire and Rescue Force issues certificates after being satisfied with the house plan, including the design, location and exit facilities to ease escape during disasters.
Speaking to the africa-press the Force’s Spokesperson Inspector Joseph Mwasabeja said the (Fire Precautions in Buildings) Regulations, 2015 gives the force the power to award the certificate for the house plan that complies with fire accidents precautions.
“All structure drawings should be submitted to the Fire and Rescue before construction begins, we have to study them and advise on a proper way of installing a fire system to protect the building and people inside,” he stated.
He added that the force has the mandate to inspect the buildings after construction to ensure all the proposed systems work efficiently as intended, and if it complies with that regulation the owner will be awarded the certificate to start utilising the building.
Inspector Mwasabeja revealed that the move is also aimed at smoothing the rescue process when the disaster occurs. Among other precautions, the Fire and Rescue Force advises the house owners on location of the rescue gears in the building including a rescue line hook that must be attached on top of the building.
“During fire disasters, we have various techniques for rescue especially on tall buildings (towers), sometimes the ladders won’t be enough for those towers; those buildings must be friendly for the firefighters to use alternative ways that are built in the building “ he tipped.
However, Mwasabeja underlined that the regulations don’t only apply to the commercial tall buildings, but even to the residential structures that they should comply with by submitting their drawings to the department for advice. He raised concern over unplanned settlements whereby residential houses are constructed in a manner that makes it difficult for the fire and rescue team to do their task efficiently.
He revealed that in some areas there was not even a passage between one house and the other, something which hindered the fire rescue truck to penetrate. “Some people don’t consider infrastructures for fire rescue, this makes an unfriendly environment for us to do our job,” he complained.
Inspector Mwasabeja also warned those who tend to put small gates that do not enable the fire rescue truck to enter the house premise during the fire emergence, asking them to build the entrance that could make trucks easily get in.