Firefighters appeal for calm ... Firefighters and guidelines

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M- Following social media threats, warning Firefighters not to attend to some fire emergencies, the department pleaded for understanding from those threatening to attack them

“Allow us to do our job as professionally as possible, our work requires us not to classify fires or our humanitarian emergency services,” said ENFES Mandla Dlamini. The Eswatini National Fire and Emergencies Services (ENFES) Public Relations Officer Mandla Dlamini, appealed to those who made the threats to understand the professional scope of their work. Dlamini said theirs was to save lives, property, render humanitarian services, and promote fire prevention at all costs.

“We are guided by ethics to assist without classifying who should or should not receive assistance.”

Dlamini said as a professional firefighting organisation in Eswatini they appeal for understanding. Certain calls from some sections of society in some social media pages, suggested that firefighters should not respond to some emergencies is very worrying to see.

He said it was against their professional conduct to segregate or start vetting

M- The fire departments disclosed they have developed and maintain guidelines that establish a standardised approach to the safety of members in incidents that involve violence, unrest, or civil disturbances.

Dlamini said their standards were not limited to situations and shall include but not be limited to riots, fights, violent crimes, drug-related situations, family disturbances, deranged individuals and people within fire department operations. He said the responsibility of keeping firefighting and emergency service personnel safe and healthy was always changing but members of the public needed to keep a safe passage.

Dlamini said it must be noted that firefighters provide rescue, fire suppression, emergency

what emergency or humanitarian service they should attend to. Stating that even if they were to be called for a fire at a neighbours, who they personally did not see eye-to-eye with, they would attend without a second though and be as professional as required by their code.

“We don’t personalise issues in our call of duty as a medical services, hazardous materials mitigation, special operations, and other emergency services.

He said the only protections they have are against those situations, not the threats of being fired upon by aggrieved citizens.

Dlamini added that much as they understand what was currently happening in the country, as firefighters they need safe passage and protection from all people of the country.

He said the same could be seen in the current Ukraine and Russia conflict, firefighters were given safe passage to do their work both in the territories controlled by the fighting factions.

Dlamini said theirs was to remain neutral in executing their jobs. He said that was a norm all over the world.

professional service.

“We don’t classify accidents as firefighters, as all accidents that need us as first responders are treated as an accident that needs to be attended regardless of who is at risk,” said Dlamini. Recently firefighters have been demanding escorts in order to attend to emergencies as they fear being attacked.