NFA to the rescue
THE National Fire Authority (NFA) is calling on members of the public to call its 910 toll-free emergency line following the successful rescue of a heart patient and amputee last Thursday.
In a statement, NFA said firefighters rescued a man at Qalitu, almost 10 kilometres from Lautoka when he could not cross a flooded Irish crossing.
The Lautoka fire station received a call seeking assistance at 4.40pm on Thursday and the onduty team responded immediately with two fire trucks and six officers.
On arrival at the scene at 5.30pm, the officers noticed an Irish crossing underwater.
The firefighters managed to cross the bridge and transferred the man across the flooded crossing using the two-man carry technique.
The man also suffered from shortness of breath while trying to cross the flooded crossing on his own and was transported to the hospital safely by the NFA rescue team.
The NFA says it is mandated by law to carry out rescue operations in conjunction with other first responder agencies.
NFA chief executive officer Puamau Sowane praised the rescue role carried out by the firefighters.
“Our people are well trained in these rescue situations. The public should take advantage of these services during emergencies and rest assured that our firefighters will provide the best of their skill set,” Mr Sowane said.
“The NFA, for its part, is continuing to build capacities among its operations staff and is forging partnerships with its overseas counterparts to upgrade the skills and experience of its firefighters.”
Fortunately, all occupants were safely evacuated from the home and the estimated cost of damage is $300,000
– Police