Civil Aviation Authority has passed out 25 Fire Fighters and marine rescuers who have been undergoing a four month
training at Entebbe International Airport.
The trainees underwent comprehensive training in both marine and fire fighting which equipped them with skills related to Airport Familiarization (details of aircraft), levels of protection/Extinguishing agents, personal safety and
communication alongside diving.
Presiding over the ceremony, the Deputy Managing Director Fred Bamwesigye said the aviation industry in Uganda is experiencing tremendous growth which is reflected in the number of new flights and the increasing number of arrivals at the airport, thus the need to have professional manpower that can handle catastrophes in case it occurs.
“As the Industry grows with advances in technology, fire fighting and rescue operations become more complicated and
challenging, thus the need to train our personnel who can handle such challenges once they occur at the Airport,” he
explained.
He said that CAA will continue investing in human personnel and acquiring new equipment such as marine boats and fire extinguishing trucks since the demand for the services in the country is expected to be high following the government decision of opening up new airports and the development of the country’s aerodromes which are distributed across the country.
In 2017, Entebbe International Airport handled 1,620,000 international passengers and 69,000 metric tons of cargo up from 118,000 passengers and 6,600 metric tons of cargo in 1991 when CAA was established.