Too many false alarms affecting us - Firefighters

False appeals for help seriously disrupts firefighters from engaging in other emergency services.

From Ngodi to Kotto Chiefdom, ten kilometers away, it's not unusual for those who know Douala to have an idea of the obligation of firefighters to drive at high speed to assist victims of fire.

Yet such a journey is often done unnecessarily for city firefighters. As the statistics show, only the Ngodi barracks, one of the most active parts of the city that houses task forces established at the port and the airport, has a record 37 false alarms in the first five months of 2015.

CT was able to verify the situation during a brief stay at the Fire Brigade office of the barracks where a call is received from a young woman: "Hello! Roger, it's me." In the following explanation:" This is not Roger, you are speaking with firefighters. Do you have a problem ..."

The voice replies: "But this is Roger's office, right? I am hanging up now but tell him it's me." To release the line, the phone is hung up. Two minutes later, a young man calls to say he is missing at PK12. Asked what he wants, there is no answer.

Another speechless call follows and again there is no distress at the other end. They are forced to follow wrong messages which undermines a real fire alarm.

The phenomenon causes Colonel Mikaila, commander of the local group of firefighters, to waste resources which cannot be accounted for.

Captain Afuh, on the other hand, emphasized on the state of mind of his men when they face these false alarms: "People need to know that a response by firefighters is a very important act. We must equip ourselves fully before going to face a fire."

They are very attentive and their nerves are on edge when they leave the barracks and it ends up being unnecessary. They learn to distinguish the tone of the caller and the period and location of the said fire as done by most experienced emergency services. A gendarmerie for example, will not have young lovers who are bickering abuse the 113 number.

Educated children, for example, call the fire brigade or the ambulance (99,184,695, 32%, according to a medical study in 2007) as a joke. School holidays, says a firefighter, often result in a lot of frivolous calls.