Airports get rescue and fire fighting vehicles

The Aviation Authority during a press release on Tuesday November 18, 2014 in Douala revealed that it has equipped three secondary airports with 5 fire fighting vehicles and a truck.

The airports; Bafoussam, Ngaoundéré and Bertoua were provided with these equipments through the central purchase of ASECNA (Agency for the safety of air navigation in Africa and Madagascar. The devices were produced in the factory of Industrial Society for the Development of Security (Sides) in Saint-Nazaire, France.

According to the technician provided by SIDES to aid the Cameroonian firefighters on the use of these vehicles the explanation of Gérard the Guenant, “All these trucks are off-road vehicles with tanks having a capacity of 6,100 litres of water for the VIMP and 4,000 litres for the VIPP as these reservoirs are connected to tanks with foam capacity of 800 and 560 litres”.

The French technician also added that the guns of these trucks can propel water to 70 m to extinguish fire.

Prior to the presentation of these devices to the press on November 18, the vehicles had already been an object at the factory since July 30, 2014 in Saint-Nazaire.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Aviation Authority, Pierre Tankam who was accompanied by members of the Board of Directors of the company, had conducted many audits.

A dozen firefighters from the airports had subsequently received on-site one month training on the use of these trucks.

“They showed us every detail, every contour of the use of these devices; and I can assure you that I have mastered the operation of these trucks," reveals Jules Nkontchou, one of the beneficiary firefighters of this training.

In March 2013, Maroua Airport had received two vehicles of average power and a Flyco, while a Flyco was acquired by the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority for Ngaoundéré Airport.

Also, according to plans made by the Aviation Authority, Tiko, Bamenda, Batouri, Mamfe and Kribi Airports are next on the list.