NFA urges Govt and schools to insure their property as fire destroys Ra High dormitories and workshop

The National Fire Authority is urging the government and schools around the country to insure their properties to avoid huge losses in case of a fire after a fire destroyed two dormitories and an agricultural workshop in Ra High School near Waimicia in Rakiraki on Thursday.

NFA CEO Puamau Sowane says the Rakiraki Fire Station received the call from the NFA Command Centre at 2.38pm, arrived at the scene at 3.24pm and were able to stop the fire from spreading further and managed to extinguish the flames.

Sowane says the workshop was used by to store brushcutters, garden tools and fencing wire along with some of the students and teachers’ belongings.

He says at that time of the fire, students were involved in sports activities and two students who were sleeping in the first dormitory managed to escape as they could feel the heat from the building.

Sowane says the structures sustained about 90 percent damage while the cost of the damage is yet to be determined.

A fire investigation will be carried out to determine the suspected cause of fire.

He says the school was not insured.

Sowane says having looked at the statistics and under the powers vested in the NFA according to the National Fire Service (Amendment) Act 2009, the Authority will now step up the inspection and fire safety certification of all school facilities around the country (including classrooms, dormitories and kitchens) because of the risks posed to students who study and live in these facilities.

The CEO further says it is imperative that both central government and schools insure their properties to avoid big losses like this.

He says their people on the ground continue to alert people by carrying out awareness programs through various modes, such as the Integrated Community Fire Wardens and Emergency Response Framework, house-to-house, schools and community visits.

Sowane says NFA also carries out awareness through radio and TV commercials and up until today we have carried out quite a number of awareness programmes.

He says they have seen that despite all these awareness programs, people do not seem to understand the impact of structural fires.