SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win delivers speech at the ceremony to mark 78th Anniversary of Myanmar Fire Brigade Day
Nay Pyi Taw May 5
A ceremony to mark the 78th Anniversary of Myanmar Fire Brigade Day took place at Myanmar International Convention Centre-MICC-II in Nay Pyi Taw this morning, with an address by Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win.
Also present at the ceremony were SAC member General Mya Tun Oo, Admiral Tin Aung San, Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, U Wunna Maung Lwin, Daw Dwe Bu and Mahn Nyein Maung, Union ministers, the Nay Pyi Taw Council chairman, Union-level dignitaries, senior military officers, deputy ministers, Nay Pyi Taw Council members, permanent secretaries, departmental heads, officers and members of Myanmar Fire Brigade Headquarters, retired fire brigade officers, representatives from permanent, auxiliary and separate fire brigade members from regions and states, outstanding award winners and guests.
First, the Vice-Senior General pressed the button to open the ceremony.
A video clip on documentaries of the 78th Anniversary of Myanmar Fire Brigade Day was presented.
In his speech, the Vice-Senior General said today is the 78th Anniversary of Myanmar Fire Brigade Day marking the fire brigade in serving people with prevention of fire and safeguarding life and property of the people in successive eras in its prestigious traditions.
In looking back the history of Myanmar, King Anawrahta who established Bagan dynasty formed fire brigades in 1044 AD. From Bagan to Konbaung eras, fire squads were systematically formed to serve firefighting services for the State. So, it can be taken proud in some 1,000 years term of Myanmar Fire Brigade history.
In the colonial era, British colonialists formed the municipal fire brigades for serving their interests. So, patriotic youths formed the amateur fire brigades to protect their regions against danger of fire with national spirit. Starting from late 1900, voluntary fire brigades in all townships across the nation.
On Sunday, 5 May 1946, the first voluntary firefighter con[1]ference of all fire brigades across Myanmar was held at the girls’ school in Kandawgale of Yangon with an address by General Aung San. As such, 5 May when the conference was held has been marked as Myan-mar Fire Brigade Day till today for 78 years.
In accord with the instruction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Fire Brigade is implementing four objectives: fire prevention, natural disaster prevention, search and rescue and public welfare measures. In so doing, it is necessary to strategically perform management, implementation and review of relevant work processes.
As Myanmar faces outbreaks of fire yearly, outbreaks of fire occurred 18,000 time within a decade from 2014 to 2023, losing Ks-187 billion of property. So, the country faces some 1,800 times of fire outbreaks yearly with more than Ks-18 billion of Consequently, the resultant loss and damage were minimized.
Following the cyclone’s aftermath, under the direction of the National Dis[1]aster Management Committee, the fire brigade, alongside specialized search and rescue units and 549 personnel from Nay Pyi Taw, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Mon, Yangon, Shan, and Ayeyawady, engaged in relief and rehabilitation operations. Leveraging their expertise, equipment, and collective strength, the fire brigade acted swiftly and efficiently to address the situation.
To effectively confront the challenges posed by emerging disasters and collaborate seamlessly with international counterparts, the Myanmar Fire Brigade must undergo comprehensive reforms, focusing not only on structural enhancements but also on fundamental improvements. Achieving equilibrium in terms of manpower, equipment, and technological capabilities is imperative for its future pre-paredness.
Highlighting international accomplishments, in November 2023, Myanmar was among the 16 teams from 13 nations participating in the Singapore Civil Defence Force-SCDF Ready Week 2023. Myanmar’s commendable performance, securing third place in the braveheart (individual) contest, amidst 26 international firefighters, brought pride to the nation. This achievement stands as a significant milestone for the Myanmar Fire Brigade, underscoring the need to uphold and further cultivate such esteemed traditions.
While members of the Fire Brigade are required to exert efforts to be competent in firefighting and search and rescue technologies to keep up with the times, it is necessary to make preparation for new challenges posed by natural disasters and to practice advanced search and rescue technologies by forming urban search and rescue teams in respective regions and states.
Members of the Fire Brigade are urged to implement four missions of the brigade successfully by preserving the fine traditions of the Fire Brigade, to enhance the image of the brigade by participating in reduction of fire outbreaks and natural disasters and national development tasks by upholding Our Three Main National Causes, to exert efforts by studying changing modern fire fighting technologies in the international community and practicing them without losing sight of modern technologies, to make efforts out of goodwill effectively to serve the interests of the people by carrying out fire safety and rescue measures and to continue to preserve the prestige of the Fire Brigade, member of which has protected the lives and property of the people for many years by sacrificing their lives in successive eras .
Then, the Vice-Senior General presented honorary cash rewards and shields to U Tun Shwe, who sang a classic song titled “Beware of Fire,” Deputy Battalion Commander of Auxiliary Fire Brigade Battalion in Dagon Myothit (South) Township in Yangon Region U Chit Hlaing, who is volunteering in the battalion for firefighting operations at the age of more than 90 years, Defence Services Personnel (Retd) member of the Fire Brigade (Retd) Sergeant (Retd) U Tun Kyi and an official who is responsible for three longest volunteering auxiliary fire brigade stations.
Afterward, the Vice-Senior General accepted the commemorative gift for the 78th Myanmar Fire Brigade Day presented by Member of the SAC Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Yar Pyae.
Then, the union minister pre-sented honorary prizes and cash rewards to a member of the Fire Brigade, who third prize in the individual capabilities category in the Singapore Global Firefighters & Paramedics Challenge Braveheart, two members who won excellent trainee awards in Civil Service Academies (Upper Myanmar and Lower Myanmar), a member of the Fire Brigade, who won a performance medal, and Assistant Staff Officer of the Fire Brigade (Retd) U Myo Min, who served in the Myanmar Fire Brigade for 37 years and won Outstanding Performance Awards in Social Affairs (First, Second and Third Grades) for donating blood 125 times.
Afterward, the Vice-Senior General posed for documentary photographs together with attendees and inspected the modern firefighting and search & rescue equipment displayed in the hall and fire trucks used in successive eras displayed in front of the hall.
In the evening, the Vice-Senior General attended the honorary dinner commemorating the 78th Myanmar Fire Brigade Day together with members of the SAC, union ministers, officials and guests. First, members of the Fire Brigade entertained the guests with a song titled “The Noble Spirit of Firefighters.”
Then, the Vice-Senior General and the union minister for Home Affairs cut the cake commemorating the 78th Myanmar Fire Brigade Day. During the dinner, Pyitaw Aye Nyein Myanmar Saing Orchestra and a modern music band of the Myanmar Fire Brigade entertained the guests with music and dances together with members of the Fire Brigade and artists.
After the dinner, the Vice-Senior General presented an honorary flower basket and cash rewards for members of the Fire Brigade and artists who performed music and dances during the dinner.
In commemoration of the 78th Myanmar Fire Brigade Day, which falls on 5 May, 2024, Ks-5 million cash rewards would be presented by union ministers and the chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council, 20 sets of MRTV DTH satellite dishes by the union minister for Information and 100 sets of Solar Watt (50) generators by the union minister for Border Affairs.