Crackdown on prank calls
Crackdown on prank calls
13 September 2010
published by www.fijitimes.com
Fiji: Serafina Silaitoga – IN the hope of preventing unnecessary emergency trips as a result of prank calls, the National Fire Authority has drawn up a report to penalise people who set fires in public areas in the North.
Divisional fire officer John Pillay said the report would include permits to set fire in public places, including farms, to be issued by the Commissioner Northern’s office.
“We can’t afford to waste money making trips to put out bush fires that can be controlled and prevented from spreading,” Mr Pillay said.
“Some emergency fires we have attended to are usually in cane farms and along the main highway. These fires can be prevented from spreading. We have included in our report that people should supervise any fire they light in public places to ensure it doesn’t spread.”
Mr Pillay said residents had been advised through their community awareness programs to supervise any fire they lit within their compounds.
“Residents should make sure that the rubbish they burn in their compounds are completely out before returning into their homes,” Mr Pillay said.
“We will visit the Commissioner Northern’s office to seek his support and we have been to military camp asking for their support in enforcing the need to control the burning of rubbish or farms in our community.”
Last weekend, the fire department in Labasa attended to three different emergency calls of two house fires and one bush fire outside the Labasa Town area.
