Thrilling rides at Fire & Rescue fair

SLIDING down seven storeys down a spiralling tube of fabric is just one of the exhilarating activities that one can partake in at the Fire and Rescue Department's Fun Fair and Charity Bazaar being held at its headquarters at the Old Airport, Berakas.

The "Escape Chute" is aimed to demonstrate how people can be evacuated from a building in the event that the lower floors are not accessible. The use of an escape chute is just one of the activities in which the public can get the chance to experience some of the extreme tasks the fire and rescue personnel have to carry out in an emergency situation.

Andikarmilawati "Andi" Hj Abd Karim from the department's Public Relations Office told The Brunei Times that visitors on Sunday will be able to take part in this activity and others such as the flying fox, smoke house, fire vehicle ride, turntable ladder ride and life air pack jump.

"With these rides, the public will be able to get a hands-on experience to some of the extreme tasks in which our personnel has to handle and undertake during everyday emergency situations," she said.

A large crowd of families turned up for the event yesterday, with many partaking in these activities. Andikarmilawati said that she was very happy with the response and turnout of the crowd.

Andikarmilawati said that the funfair and charity bazaar was organised to coincide with the department's golden jubilee celebrations which was held on March 9.

The funfair and bazaar which started on Wednesday will end tomorrow. It is open to the public from 9am until 5pm with a total of 20 booths selling a variety of products for visitors, ranging from food to apparels to garage sale goods.

"So far the response has been positive today, but we are looking for more crowds by the weekend where we will have more games for everyone to play," said Andikarmilawati.

Other activities visitors can look forward to included games and quizzes, such as the hose drill and the "donning the fire jacket" race.

Children will also be able to participate in a colouring contest for ages 12 and below.

A water curtain show by the Fire and Rescue personnel at the headquarters will also be set up for public enjoyment at 10am on the last day tomorrow where there will also be a walkathon, commencing at 7am which is open for public participation. The walkathon will have male participants walk for 5km and female participants walk for 3.5km from the headquarters to the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium and back again.

Yesterday, staff from HSBC bank were at the event to give out free T-shirts to the public to be used during the walkathon.

All proceeds from the charity bazaar and funfair will go to the Fire and Rescue Departments' Orphans Fund.

In addition, the exhibition launched during the 50th anniversary celebration on March 9 will continue to be open to the public until the end of the bazaar.

"This is also an opportunity for the public to view our exhibition at the multipurpose hall, where they can learn more about what we do and have a close up glimpse at the various equipment we use in our operations," said Andikarmilawati.

"Any inquiries regarding fire and safety hazards, the department's operations and such can be obtained by our personnel during the exhibition," she added.

At present, the department has more than 1,400 personnel and 17 fire stations strategically located around the country. The department's operations cover both land and water.

The roles and responsibilities of the department are not limited to putting out fires but also include rescue, conducting fire investigations as well as raising awareness among the community on fire safety and disaster management.

The Brunei Times