Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo : “Providing training to firefighters is a priority for Government”

Twelve officers of the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) are being trained on first aid by two experts of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of Reunion Island. The initiative is a joint collaboration of the Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands and the Embassy of France in Mauritius.

The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands and Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, and the French Ambassador to Mauritius, Mr Emmanuel Cohet, paid a visit to the trainees yesterday, to take stock of the activities being carried out, at the Coromandel Fire Station. The training programme aimed at training trainers in providing first aid in teams. The twelve trainees equipped with the knowledge and skills will in turn dispense training to other officers.

In a statement, the Vice-Prime Minister underlined that offering training to the MFRS officers is a key governmental priority, as they have the important responsibility of ensuring the safety of the population and protecting and reducing the losses of life and property from dangers of fire and other emergency threats.

According to her, in the wake of climate change, the role of fire-fighters has evolved and they are now called upon to carry out additional tasks, such as intervening in situations of natural disasters. She added that the officers of the MFRS have demonstrated courage and determination in handling emergency situations during flash floods that hit the country at the beginning of the year. On that score, a sum of Rs 3 million has been allocated in Budget 2018-2019.  

Vice-Prime Minister Jeewa-Daureeawoo further pointed out that it is essential for the fire fighters to be versatile and acquire skills and increase their knowhow to improve service delivery.