Fire incidence preparedness by Mazabuka municipal council: a case study of urban markets

Fire incidents have been on the rise in the country with urban markets experiencing devastating property loss and business disturbances. However, the public has been putting the blame on the local authority as it the one mandated to prevent and respond to fire outbreaks. This report presents a study conducted in Mazabuka at the municipal council and urban markets from February to May 2018.The aim of the study was investigate fire incidence preparedness by Mazabuka municipal council in urban markets. This was done by establishing human capacity and equipment, determining major preparedness projects undertaken in Mazabuka urban markets and challenges faced by the fire department. The research design used was a descriptive and the major approach was qualitative. The sampling techniques used included; purposive sampling, convenience sampling and simple random sampling. Fire officers at the department and the market committee members from urban markets were interviewed through focus group discussions to examine current information on fire incidence preparedness whereas the chief fire officer and the market master were administered with questionnaires and also interviews were done. The findings indicated that the majority of the personnel at Mazabuka municipal council fire department were still mere fire officers whereas four officers had other ranks and they had only 14 officers at the department. The council also had a water tender with modern equipment, a good conditioned ambulance and utility van. To propel preparedness the following projects were being implemented and these were; fire drills in markets, trainings in markets and private institutions, public awareness, fire inspections and stakeholder collaboration .However, the following challenges were being faced; lack of adequate man power, erratic water supply, and lack of effective communication system and unavailability of a substation for quick response in areas far from the station in urban district. The general situation indicated that Mazabuka municipal council fire department was not well prepared to manage fire outbreaks meaning that plans to rectify the situation are cardinal