Fire chief: Heavy traffic hinders rescue missions

By ARMSTRONG SAIYAMA
THE high number of vehicles in Port Moresby is a major hindrance to firemen attending to fires in the city, says PNG Fire Services chief Isaac Silas.
“The influx of high number of vehicles is causing traffic jams for us in our operations to save people’s lives and properties from fire,” Silas told The National this week.
He said that distance was a vital issue in saving people’s lives and properties from fire.
“We have four fire stations – Port Moresby, Boroko, Waigani and Gerehu – in the nation’s capital. Our coverage of each of these stations is broad,” he said.
Silas revealed that it took a while from the time the firemen received the call to the time they arrived at the scene.
“It takes eight minutes for a fire to burn a single unit and in most cases the public calls in 10 minutes later,” he said.
Silas said in some cases, the fire burned down the buildings before a call was made to the fire stations.
He stressed that fire emergency numbers were vital for rescue services, adding that people must not abuse this community service.