Students enlightened on fire outbreak

Kanifing Municipal Council, KMC, Disaster Management Committee, in collaboration with the Environmental Builders and Youth Enterpreneurship Organisation (EBYEO) are organising a series of sensitisation programmes on fire outbreak for students in Region One.

Speaking to students at New Jeshwang Lower Basic School, Mr. Momdou Lamin Sanyang, the Divisional Fire Officer for KMC advised students that before they light mosquito coil, they should have an iron wider than the coil to place mosquito coil on.

He urged students to ensure that they place the candle on an iron plate so that when it caught fire it would melt on the iron plate or put the candle on an iron cup, then fix the candle inside the sand and fill it with sand or water.

On the issue of fumigation, Mr. Sanyang said when lighting charcoal on a local pot to generate a decent perfume, they need to place the fumigation pot away from burning materials.

'It is not advisable to lock up the whole house when putting fumigation in house because when the heat in a particular house increase there is a chance that fire may occur because every material has a burning point to ignite,' he stated. 

The Executive Coordinator at the Environmental Builders and Youth Enterpreneurship Organisation the Gambia, Abdul Rahim Derek said 'fire causes lost of life, renders people homeless, increases poverty rate, pollutes and affects our environment.'

Mr. Karamo Ceesay, a teacher at New Jeshwang Lower Basic School commended both the KMC Disaster Management Committee and Fire Service for sensitising their students on the dangers of fire outbreak.

He said the two institutions are doing their best to educate students on the dangers of fire outbreak whether at home or at school.

Mrs. Binta Sey-Jadama, KMC's Disaster Management Coordinator told this reporter that New Jeshwang Lower Basic School was the 5th school in Region One where they so far conducted the sensitisation programme, adding that they will continue to sensitise students at other schools in the region.

The school cluster monitor for the area, Fabakary Jarjue also spoke at the ceremony on behalf of Mrs. Anna Burang John Ceesay, the Regional Directress for Region One.