27 August 2003
CPA Completes First Renovation of Baghdad Fire Station
Iraqi civil defense director says fire fighters are receiving substantial pay increases
The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq has completed the first renovation of a fire station in Baghdad.
"The fire station now has a brand new fitted kitchen, where three meals will be provided a day; dormitories with new beds and the whole building has been repainted. The firemen have uniforms and more money. During Saddam Hussein's regime Iraq's fire service, like most other public services received little to no investment and as a result the equipment and stations were extremely inadequate," the CPA said in an August 27 press release.
The CPA plans to carry out a thorough renovation of 10 more of the 25 fire stations in Baghdad and provide the remaining fire stations with new furniture and office equipment, according to the press release.
Iraqi fire fighters also have received substantial pay increases, the press release said.
Following is the text of the press release:
(begin text)
COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
FIRST RENOVATED FIRE STATION IN BAGHDAD
Baghdad, Iraq...August 27, 2003 -- The CPA is pleased to announce that the Al Bayaa fire station is the first fire station to have had intensive renovation.
Al Bayaa is the first of the city's 25 Fire Stations to be refurbished and renovated. All the fire stations and Administrative Headquarters were totally looted and destroyed following the war.
The fire station now has a brand new fitted kitchen, where three meals will be provided a day; dormitories with new beds and the whole building has been repainted. The fire men have uniforms and more money. During Saddam Hussein's regime Iraq's fire service, like most other public services received little to no investment and as a result the equipment and stations were extremely inadequate.
Iraqi firefighters have also received substantial pay increases that put them on the same level as their contemporaries. During Saddam Hussein's era, firefighters received anywhere from 7500 Dinars to 30000 Dinars per month ($5 to$20 respectively). Today firefighters get $120 (180000 Dinars) per month.
For the past five months the professional firefighters of Baghdad, led by Dr Ali Sadoon, Director General of Civil Defense, have stood by their posts providing a stable backbone of security for the people of Iraq as they fought fires and conducted emergency operations 24 hours per day.
Dr Ali said:
"I pay tribute to the brave firefighters of Baghdad. They have offered a 24 hour service whilst sleeping on the floors, without any uniforms, and minimal equipment. They responded to the UN fire/explosion and assisted in recovery operations even though they only had fire hoses and trucks as their only equipment." They have fought major fires in cotton jumpsuits and plastic flipflops.
"Today is the first day of a new beginning for our department. The pay for our firefighters has increased significantly allowing us the opportunity to retain quality personnel and maintain our dignity."
Iraq has over 165 firehouses and 6000 firefighters stand guard around the clock. This is the first of the 11 fire stations under renovation, which is ready for operational use. The firefighters have also received much needed foam, new uniforms and they are hoping to receive new equipment which was purchased under the Oil for Food Program.
The Al Bayaa Fire Station is led by Maj Hassan Kadhim Salman and he is assisted by Lt Saad Esmael and Lt Luay Abdulameer. The fire station has 35 firefighters and two fire trucks -- one a French 2001 SIDES pumper and the other a Chinese made 2000 FAW model.
To date in Baghdad we have achieved the following:
-- All Firefighters have received new uniforms
-- Over 100,000 liters of foam has been delivered
-- Each fire station is equipped with a MCI phone for immediate Emergency Response
Also, 10 of the 25 firehouses are currently being refurbished and all 25 firehouses will eventually receive new furniture and office equipment.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=August&x=20030827145504atarukp0.711529&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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