By Kitts D. Mabonga
KAMPALA
Companies have been commended for not only helping students learn and physically see new products that are trending on the modern market but also equipping them to acquire free knowledge about how technology, innovation and science can be very important in one’s life.
This was made by Samuel Kyagambiddwa, the business development manager of JK Global Engineers, while equipping pupils of Taibah Junior school Kawempe with skills in fire and safety fighting during the ongoing Uganda International Trade fair (UGITF) at UMA show ground.
Over 60 pupils of Taibah Junior School who toured the 2023 UGITF, acquired free knowledge and skills about how to prevent, protect and rescue efforts when a fire breaks out.
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Kyagambiddwa lamented that many schools in the recent past have become victims of mysterious fire outbreaks which have claimed both innocent lives and gross loss of property in millions of shillings later alone sending others into the zone of permanent disability.
He noted that the poor planning by the school management boards where the majority of them have reluctantly ignored to set aside a fire and safety budget yet a fire deadly and it leads to outright loss of both lives and property”
‘We call upon school management boards to take seriously the budgeting for fire and safety because anytime any school can fall victim to arson attack, saying as fire experts in the country, we are certain that unless schools give priority to fire and safety, such schools might be clandestinely trending in troubled waters’ cautioned the fireman’’ said Kyagambiddwa
Jussie Nabisubi from JK Engineering marketing department urged the pupils to take extra care by always trying as much as possible to keep away from fire as well as avoid tampering with open electricity cables or wires as they may contain power which can instantly kill them.
‘All children both at school and among communities should endeavor to take extra care by avoiding playing near fire places or tampering with electrical wires which are found hanging as they may be very dangerous to their lives’ noting that at JK Engineering they strive hard to ensure that they carry out community sensitizations messages about fire and safety given its devastating consequences on both human life and property.
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According to a report compiled by fire and rescue services, police recorded 1,015 fire incidents last year and the majority of them were in residential homes.
In the previous years, most fire accidents would be recorded in commercial buildings, metal welding workshops, merchandise stores, timber, wood and furniture workshops. Mugisa explains that children who were left alone cooking using electric appliances like kettles and charcoal stoves ended up burning homes.
At least 290 homes were burnt in 2020, Of these, 173 houses were burnt by fires that started from charcoal stoves, 32 were burnt by electric appliances children left unattended to and 31 other homes were burnt down by fires that ignited from overheating of electric appliances such as flat irons and cookers.
Apart from homes, commercial buildings came second with 169 fire incidents, makeshift structures recorded 150 fire incidents while electrical installations and motor vehicle garages recorded 100 and 89 fire incidents respectively.
In appreciation, the pupils thanked the company for taking them through the fire and safety exercise saying they were not aware about the potential consequences of fires and promised to take back the messages and share with colleagues as well as intensify efforts in taking extra care at all times.
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JK Engineers is one of the leading fire engineering firms in Uganda which was established in 2001 by a team of dedicated Ugandan skilled, experienced and innovative engineers and technicians who have extended their operations to cover East African countries.
Nabisubi said that their dedicated technical team has been able to deliver safe and environmentally friendly engineering solutions customized to the needs of clients at the most competitive prices which has seen the steady growth and increase of business networks across the EAC block.
She observed that they specialize in fire and security system engineering, general electrical, mechanical engineering services and general industrial equipment, machinery spare parts and chemicals respectively.
On health and safety, she noted that they provide high quality technical engineering services for sustainable growth and development while enhancing safety and reducing health and environmental impacts of their operations.
‘We are committed to consistently comply with applicable legal requirements, ISO standards and applicable local requirements throughout the planning and sourcing of inputs, storage, distribution, sales and after sales services’ she pointed out.
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