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Vincent Mwale Local Government Minister
Local Government Minister Vincent Mwale has defended the decision to procure 42 fire tenders at a total cost of US$42 million.
Mr Mwale has told parliament in a ministerial statement in response to concerns raised by some members of the public on the cost of the fire engines that the fire trucks are custom made specifically designed to respond to the challenges fire fighters in the country have been facing over the years in terms of the terrain and operational areas.
He says the fire engines were manufactured in Spain based on the specifications developed by the Zambian fire fighters themselves.
Mr Mwale says the fire fighters informed the procurement team that some of the challenges often encountered in fire fighting were the narrow roads mostly in unplanned settlements, and that to respond to this challenge, the new fire engines are equipped with monitors which allow fire fighters to fight fires from a distance of up to 70 meters irrespective of obstruction along the way.
He adds that the new fire trucks also have increased storage capacity for water of up to 7,000 liters and 1,000 litres for special form, while the old fire engines being utilized have a water storage capacity of 5,000 litres and have no provision for form.
Mr Mwale further states that the fire engines are able to extract water from the tanks within two minutes and fill up the tank.
And Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba questioned whether it was important for government to procure 42 fire engines at US$42 million when the country faced economic challenges in 2015.