UK charity donates fire and ambulance equipment to BCC

United Kingdom-based charity, Operation Florian has donated fire and ambulance equipment to the Bulawayo City Council's fire and rescue services department, as part of its mandate to improve fire and rescue services in the city and surrounding areas.

Operation Florian has been in partnership with Bulawayo for eight years. Its aim is to protect lives among communites in need worldwide, through the provision of equipment and training to improve firefighting and rescue capabilities.

Speaking at the handover ceremony of the equipment at the Famona Fire Station, Bulawayo mayor, councillor Martin Moyo said the donation was a reflection of a mutual understanding between the department and the humanitarian organisation.

"The partnership between the City of Bulawayo and Operation Florian has seen the city benefiting from donations which help improve the lives of residents.

"As Bulawayo we are proud that we are now well-prepared in cases of fire and trained in emergency situations. The donations have helped us improve our efficiency and effectiveness in providing fire and rescue services," he said.

Moyo expressed gratitude, saying previous donations to the department have gone a long way in improving responsiveness to emergencies.

"In the past donations received have been crucial in ensuring that the emergency services in Bulawayo are to serve the city and the greater parts of the Matabeleland region. We are grateful for enabling us to provide quality services to our residents".

He said the donation comes after two weeks of training of fire and ambulance personnel.

"I am pleased to see that we have had trainees from Lobatse in Botswana, Bindura, Plumtree, Hwange Colliery, Masvingo, Mutare, Beitbridge, Kadoma, Harare, Victoria Falls and Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe," Moyo said.