Kabwe residents today thronged the civic centre to have a first-hand glimpse of two of the controversial fire tenders that have been sent to the district.

The two fire tenders were on display at the civic centre for members of the public to view before taking them away to their respective holding points.

The residents expressed mixed feelings with some contending that the fire tenders are not as big as they had anticipated while others looked on with admiration.

Meanwhile Zambia National Fire Service Training School commandant Yona Mwale described government’s decision to equip the training school with a modern fire tender as a miracle.

He said there has never been such a time in the history of the nation when fire fighters had been equipped with the right equipment for them to carry out their various tasks.

Mwale said the nation had never invested in the area of fire protection and therefore, receiving new fire tenders was highly commendable.

“We have never had such a moment before as fire fighters where we are equipped with modern fire tenders. Previously, we have been receiving donations from other countries and such donated fire tenders have not been ideal for the Zambian environment,” Mwale said.

Mwale said now that the fire engines were in the community, the community would benefit from professional fire fighting that would be provided due to the state of the art equipment.

He challenged members of the public to inspect the fire tenders for them to appreciate their quality.

“Amidst the controversy surrounding the fire tenders, I challenge the members of the community to inspect these fire engines and they will see that they are not old, used and recycled fire engines. When it comes to the cost, I think quality comes with a cost,” said Mwale.