VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Praslin Fire Station has appealed to residents of housing estates on the island to stop disposing of household waste in areas marked for fire hydrants, warning that the practice can cost lives. Second officer in charge Daniel Antoine and assistant section leader Andrew François said firefighters have on several occasions arrived at fire scenes only to find their access to hydrants blocked by debris, toys and other objects, delaying their response to genuine emergencies.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr François said that fire engines are not permitted to travel faster than the normal speed limit, even when heading to an emergency, and the additional minutes lost clearing a hydrant can mean the difference between a contained fire and a serious incident. The fire hydrants, installed by the Public Utilities Corporation at all housing estates and along the roadside, are marked with a yellow ‘FH’ symbol and are designed to give fire crews quick access to water.
Mr Antoine also urged members of the public not to keep their gas cylinders outside the kitchen area, and to keep the area around a fire hydrant clear so that the valve can be closed quickly during an incident. The Fire and Rescue Services headquarters is on Mahé, with a sub-station on Praslin that responds to incidents on the second-largest island.
