114 Fire Tender Boost for Councils

Zimbabwean local authorities, both rural and urban, have received a significant boost to their emergency response capacity with the delivery of 114 Belarusian-made fire tenders. These 'Red Lion' units are set to strengthen firefighting capabilities across the nation's councils.

“

Over 90 RDCs and town councils have received Belarusian fire tenders named Red Lion, in total 114 units.

Belarus is not only supplying the equipment but also actively involved in building local firefighting expertise. Mr. Andrei Kloeinov, marketing director at Bison Agro Machinery, confirmed that over 90 rural district and town councils have received the fire tenders. A crucial component of this initiative is the accompanying training program, conducted in collaboration with the Belarus Institute of Disaster Management. This program has equipped firefighters and operators with the necessary skills to effectively utilize the new machinery.

The training involved two cycles, initially training 86 firefighters and operators, followed by a second cycle that equipped 21 trainers from Harare and Bulawayo fire stations. These trainers are now responsible for transferring their skills to personnel in other local authorities. Rural district councils are currently undergoing training for their newly established fire brigades at these stations.

“

Belarus is supporting not only in the supply of the equipment, but also with the training on application of fire extinguishing techniques.

Each Red Lion fire tender is equipped to carry 5,000 liters of water and 300 liters of foam-forming agent, making them capable of tackling various types of fires, including those involving chemical and electrical sources. They also feature a water gun for projecting water under pressure. Local authorities, such as Epworth Local Board, have expressed gratitude for the intervention, noting that the new equipment will help overcome years of challenges stemming from inadequate and aging firefighting resources. Belarus has also indicated readiness to support Zimbabwe with additional firefighting technologies, potentially including a national fire monitoring system for early detection.

“

We could not deal with fire over the years because there were only few old fire tenders in the country, but now this will be the thing of the past as all local authorities are equipped with fire tenders.