Inferno guts marine equipment - Coastguards hold drills

KUWAIT: As parts of its plans to upgrade its firefighting gear, equipment and manpower, Kuwait Fire Service Directorate's firefighting sector yesterday conducted a successful experiment of the new 'fire cover'. The demonstration was held in the presence of KFSD Director Lt Gen Khaled Al-Mekrad, where the cover was used on a vehicle on fire and proved effective in killing the flames and choking off oxygen. Accordingly, KFSD decided using the new technique for all vehicle fires and is studying including its use as a condition in licensing parking lots, namely multistoried ones, to ensure effective firefighting.

Meanwhile, a huge fire broke out yesterday in a 750-sq-m warehouse in Subhan, said security sources, noting that firemen from Farwaniya, Subhan, Mubarak Al-Kabeer and the backup brigade rushed to the scene and found marine equipment stored over a 200-sq-m area was on fire. Firemen managed to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the warehouse. No casualties were reported. An investigation is in progress to determine the cause of the fire.

Separately, the interior ministry's assistant undersecretary for border security affairs Maj Gen Salem Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah attended the coastguard's live shooting drill held at the Charlie shooting range.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun