76th Myanmar Fire Brigade Day ceremony held in Yangon

 

THE 76th Myanmar Fire Brigade Day celebration, which falls on 5 May this year, was held at its Headquarters in Yangon yesterday morning. The ceremony was addressed by Director-General U Myat Thu of the Fire Services Department on behalf of Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Soe Htut and attended by Yangon Region government ministers, departmental officials, Fire Brigade members, donors, invitees and media personnel.

While addressing the ceremony, the director-general said the fire brigade must build manpower, equipment power and technology power in a balanced way to make changes in anticipation of the current and future challenges in dealing with fires and natural disasters. He called on firefighters to be trained continuously by utilizing the task and technical capabilities and having expertise in the relevant field in which they work.

He stressed that training is key to mastering the systematic handling and use of evolving disaster-relief vehicles and equipment in response to disasters. Fire safety can only be effective if information and communication technologies are available rather than advanced fire and search and rescue technology. In the opening remarks, he said, group exercises should be conducted to fulfil individual and team coordination skills.

After touring the firefighting equipment on display in the gallery, the director-general and senior officials presented certificates and awards to donors and honourees, including those who have excelled in the training, recipients of the State Good Service Personnel Award, members of the fire brigade who have donated blood several times, volunteer auxiliary firefighters with more than 25 years of service.

On 5 May 1946, 197 volunteer firefighters from township-level fire brigades in 19 districts across Myanmar convened the first ‘All Burma Fire Brigade Conference’ in Yangon. National leader General Aung San himself addressed the conference. The “Fire Brigade Day” was created to commemorate the day when firefighters gathered in unison.

 —Nyein Thu (MNA)/GNLM

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