Friday, March 29, 2024

The newly-acquired 42 fire engines are justified-Malupenga

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Amos Malupenga
Amos Malupenga
Out of 109 fire stations in the country’s districts, only 15 are close to a modernised status, which justifies the move by the Government to equip the stations with the newly-acquired 42 fire engines, Local Government Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga has said.

Meanwhile, Zambia National Fire Service Training School (ZNFSTS) commandant Yonah Mwale has backed the rationale to purchase the fire engines, indicating that increased fire and road traffic accidents in various parts of the country will be handled effectively and professionally.

Mr Malupenga said the state of fire stations across the country was not in tandem with the changing infrastructure, which required firefighting teams to be fully equipped with modern tools such as the acquired fire engines.

He also said the Local Government Service Commission and the fire training institute were working closely to train more firefighters to close the gap.

“The minister has indicated plans that we have to modernise the training school and equip it properly so that we can invest in modern technology in terms of training. We have to train more people if we have to employ more, it starts from there. We can only train up to a point looking at the facilities we have with its limitations, so those are the issues we are trying to focus on,” Mr Malupenga said.

The ZNFSTS commandant, Mr Mwale said the new equipment would help firefighters respond effectively to emergencies such as fires and traffic accidents.

“We have a serious upswing involving fires and road accidents. The new engines have tools which we didn’t have in our old engines, hence the way we will respond to accidents will be different and very effective,” Mr Mwale said.

He said over the years, the firefighters were working in a difficult environment, but of outdated equipment in most cases.

Mr Mwale said even far-flung or less developed towns required the modern engines, because of differences in the levels of accidents, which could now be well addressed.

He criticised the political mileage which some opposition leaders were trying to gain from the purchase of the engines, but that they were free to report to relevant authorities.

Mr Mwale said fire experts were largely influential in the process of purchasing the new engines, because they understood the geographical set-up in the country and other requisites that went with firefighting.

He said instead of condemning the procurement of the fire tenders, people should begin to appreciate the fact that the country had been thrown into fires over the last six months, thereby subjecting fire fighters to panic and sleepless nights.

Mr Mwale said increased capacity of water in the fire engines (7,000 liters) and the 1,000 quantity of foam, was a major boost to firefighting in the country.

30 COMMENTS

  1. Dont worry the matter shall be thoroughly investigated in the future.
    Those found wanting will be jailed and the proceeds of the crime(houses,cars,land) forfeited to the state.

    • I think from what malupenga and some commandant is saying, you can tell that these people don’t understand anything. The issue here is the cost. Nobody is against the acquisition of these fire tenders. People are saying, you can still purchase the same modernised fire tenders at a reasonable price, that is the cry

    • Mr. Commandant Mwale, please come on TV with these fire tenders and explain to us what these “sophisticated machines” are able to do to justify the COST. Just how special are they?

    • Let us see in 2021 if your jobs in government are justified.

      Rigging will not save you this time.

      You keep crossing that red line with impunity.

    • PF are dull. There is no Zambian who complained about the NEED of fire equipment.
      Zambians are only confused why PF can’t calculate. $1million lwingi baba…

  2. What a load of rubbish.Dont jump the gun we are talking about the cost and the tender process as to whether we need the fire engines those are topics for Grade 7.I always say that PF will congest our prisons with innocent pipo just so that they remain stealing.No conscious whatsoever thieves sending innocent pipo to prison.When pay back time comes[or and it will come unless you expire before that time] please go to court and repeat the hogwash you are now trying to pass for an explanation.You see now Malupenga you haave been soiled.While at the The Post you sent retirees to jail over more innocuous allegations like like Musonda former Zanco MD for merely heeding to the instructions of the president to give him 2 billion cash.Can you compare those sins with what now awaits you?

  3. I am PF but really sick to see my government defending such an issue. They should have been the first ones to be complaining and asking for answers. Guys, as PF government its not every thing that we should be defending. Some issues we should even be saying, wait, we have to investigate this.

  4. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO QUESTION OUR LEADERS/GOVERNMENT..IT IS CALLED PROVIDING CHECKS AND BALANCES. SO FAR ZAMBIANS HAVE RAISED VERY SIMPLE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PURCHASE OF SECOND FIRE MACHINES… PROVIDE ANSWERS KWASILA

  5. THE ACT OF THE DAY IN THE RULING PF IS THAT THEY KEEP ON DEFENDING THEMSELVES WITHOUT ANSWERING THE WHO PRICED THE COST OF THE VEHICLES AT $1MILLION/TRUCK. IS IT A GENUIEN PRICE OF THE TRUCK TO COST $1M /K10 BILION ZAMBIAN KWACHA? WHICH TRUCK FOR SURE CAN BE BOUGHT AT ZM K10,000,000, (K10M)AND OLD CURRENCY IS ZM10 BILLION?
    WHETHER YOU JUSTIFY YOURSELVES BUT THE COST OF THE TRUCKS CAN NOT BE INTERPRETED IN OUR MIND. IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE. $42M IS EQUVALENT TO 42X 10 = 420 MILLION KWACHA WHICH IS ALLOCATED BUDGET TO MINISTRY OF HEALTH ALONE FOR THE WHOLE FULL YEAR. SHAME NA SHAME SHAME PF, BA LUNGU

  6. OK can some none please tell us where we can get the same fire tenders at a cheaper price that is including accessories, transportation etc. Instead of ranting ranting produce a quotation for the same machine and publish it for every one to see. The we will have a bases to talk about. Mr. Kambwili told us that he got the price on the phone of $158,000. can he please elaborate further.

    • lemba
      Your pforce police say muzakambila kusogolo.You have reduced the nation to laughing stocks abroad.Just prepare your st.u.i.d evidence.BAMANGA KA!APA ZAMBIA PONONA AYOPA MUNGA MUCHOSE NCHITO JUST WAIT EVEN KAMPYONGO THEY WILL FORGET HE WAS THERE MINISTER.ASK SHIKAPWASHA

  7. We have too many illiterate professionals in Zambia, especially if you consider some Permanent Secretaries to be professionals at all.

    Its like being asked, ‘What is your name?’ and your answer goes ‘Because Zambia is a Christian Nation and the Bible had a character John but, there are too many Johns in Zambia, my father had to keep trying until he had a son and since I was born in Zambia, I was awarded citizenship at birth as the law requires’.

  8. The explanations are shaky and meant to derail us from the real elephant in the room.. No one has questioned the need for the fire engines..Nkani ni MUTENGOOO!

  9. Levy mwanawasa stadium was built at a cost of $65 million, Heroes national stadium at a cost of $94 million, Levy Mwanawasa hospital at a cost of $90 million am just giving readers the clue about what a $42 million can do in terms of infrastructure development for mother zambia. Simple economics states that man’s wants are not limited but resources to satisfy him are, hence the theory of scarcity and opportunity cost. Please let us know how to make priorities and make decisions that are sustainable for the good of our economy .

  10. The heading should have been – MALUPENGA JUSTIFIES THE COST OF FIRE ENGINES – Give us a rest abena Malupenga. For now continue making that noise. We are waiting for the right time. We also are waiting for justification from the South African High Commissioner. By the way where is fatherless Bwalya? I haven’t head anything from him.

  11. There is also something very wrong with the procurement process which must be reviewed to avoid this kind of discretion and wastage. It’s a loophole for corrupt activities. Honestly who can accept that cost? Just imagine the cost of a 30 ton truck to carry stones is just about USD $100,000. Can some one tell me that fire accessories can cost more than the cost of the truck?

    What rubbish coming out of Malupenga!

  12. We are not refuting the fact that the fire engines are real. The issue is justifying the difference between what you paid for the machines and what you said you paid. I repeat, where did the difference go? Once you explain that then you will have justified the problem we are complaining about.

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