THE government has said it will continue modernising the Fire and Rescue Force by purchasing state-of-the-art equipment, including fire engines.

The commitment was expressed yesterday in Parliament by Deputy Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development Geophrey Pinda, on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs, Hamad Yusuf Masauni, when responding to the question posed by Temeke CCM legislator Ms Doroth Kilave.

The Dar es Salaam-based legislator sought answers from the government on its plans to avail fire engines to Mchicha Fire and Rescue Station in Temeke District.

In his response to the question, Mr Pinda informed the House that the government continues with efforts to modernise the Force so that it can professionally continue carrying out its responsibilities.

Giving evidence on how the government is committed to modernising the Fire and Rescue Force, Mr Pinda said in this financial year (2023/2024), the government received 12 fire engines from a loan amounting to 4.9 million Euros from the Austrian government.

According to the deputy minister, the newly acquired fire engines will be distributed to various stations, including Mchicha in Temeke District.

Other stations that will benefit from the allocation are Kinondoni, Ilala, Dodoma, Mwanza, Morogoro, Mbeya, Arusha and Kilimanjaro.

According to the deputy minister, the government has finalised procedures for the acquisition of a concessional loan, amounting to 100 million US dollars from Adex International LLC based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Mr Pinda said the loan will finance the procurement of equipment, including the procurement of 150 fire engines that will be distributed across the country.

Experts say Tanzania’s Fire and Rescue Force needs significant reforms to be aligned with the ever-changing challenges that the country faces as far as protecting its people and saving lives are concerned.

They say the country’s system for fire and rescue services is based on an antiquated culture that places more emphasis on fire events than other types of emergencies, which is incompatible with the contemporary pace required for competent emergency responses.

The system has therefore made it challenging to save lives in many disasters.

With the primary objective of ensuring the safety and well-being of people and properties, the protection of people, buildings, and lives becomes the focal point of any operation related to fire and rescue services.

The force has four key responsibilities, namely extinguishing fires, protecting life and property in the event of fires, rescuing and protecting people in the event of a road traffic collision, and rescuing and protecting people in the event of other emergencies.