Lusaka Fire and Rescue

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2018

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Lusaka, capital of Zambia, has a population of 2.5 million people, and one central fire station to serve them. The city of Paris – of a similar size – has over 80. Nick Miles explores how Zambia’s firefighters try and make that work, in this city of ignored safety regulations and combustible shanty homes.

Following them on their daily missions, from house fires in the compounds to industrial accidents in the factories, he finds a fire service capable of some real heroics. Yet it is also burdened with a terrible, city-wide reputation – responsible for all of Lusaka, they simply cannot move fast enough.

And while Lusaka’s firefighters are used to the abuse they receive on arrival – from insults to thrown stones – they now find themselves on the frontline of a national political scandal too. For Zambians are protesting on the streets, demanding an explanation for the government’s purchase of 42 new fire trucks - for $42 million dollars.

Photo: Firefighters put out flames, Credit: Lusaka Fire Station

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello from the BBC World Service and welcome to the latest edition of the
0:05.0	documentary podcast. Every week we bring you a range of stories from our
0:09.8	presenters and reporters across the world.
0:13.0	If you have the time, please rate the documentary on your podcast app and leave us a comment.
0:18.1	Let us know what you think.
0:21.5	They have a minute when the bell goes off.
0:24.0	They sleep in their clothes to make it easier.
0:30.0	They sleep in their clothes to make it easier duck under their mosquito net
0:34.6	scramble their shoes on run to the engine and hop on board.
0:41.0	Then the frantic scene of four of the crew cramped in the backseat putting on their
0:45.9	fireproof gear before the truck heads out.
0:48.1	I'm Nick Miles and this is Lusaka Fire and Rescue on the BBC World Service.
0:56.0	It's the story of the firefighters of Lusaka, Zambia, young men and women who can never move fast enough for the city around them.
1:04.4	Always leaving from here, Lusaka's only working fire station.
1:08.8	Hi, who's in charge of the crew?
1:10.8	Who's it? Who's it? in charge of the crew. This one took 64 seconds. It's 3 in the morning and it's a paper recycling company near the center of the city.
1:27.0	A warehouse, all its machinery, two lorries and around 7,000 square meters of scrap paper lying outside of court fire.
1:38.0	They jump out.
1:42.0	Unpacked the hose,
1:42.6	get the pump going.
1:46.0	And in the black of night,
1:50.0	against the orange flames,
	...

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