Moses Sentamu 
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) in conjunction with the Maritime department of the Ministry of Works and Transport, held search and rescue stakeholders’ sensitisation workshops in Busia, Buvuma Island and Mukono districts.
The workshops which ran for five days from July 1st to 5th, aimed at sensitising residents in respective districts, especially those in the island areas on how to keep safe from water and fire accidents. The residents were also taught how to rescue and offer first aid to water and fire accidents.
According to Vianney Luggya, the UCAA Public relations manager, Search and Rescue is a State obligation as required by the Chicago Convention of 1944 to which Uganda is a signatory. “One of the functions of UCAA is to coordinate and direct Search and Rescue Services in Uganda. The service is rendered to people in distress after an unfortunate air or water incident,” he explained.
The participants included Local Governments, Uganda Police force, Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), Red Cross, Hospitals, Educational Institutions, Fisheries among others. Among the specific objectives of the workshop, was to ensure local leadership’s awareness of Search and Rescue function which is a state responsibility.
Also to understand the processes of search and rescue function with regard to use of resources and establishment of a network with the local leadership in case of any occurrence. The workshops are regularly held in various districts in Uganda.
In June last year, two ladies, Racheal Nanganda and Caroline Abenaitwe were among the 24 personnel trained by UCAA in marine rescue at Entebbe airport. The three months training was conducted in conjunction with Swim Safe life savers, representing the Royal life saving society in the United Kingdom, which equipped the trainees with skills for rescuing victims of water and fire accidents.
The 24 life savers then, added to a total of 146 aerodrome rescue and firefighters currently working under UCAA. It was after the rigorous training that Mr. Fred Bamwesighye, the UCAA director general revealed that the aviation authority had embarked on a strategic plan to fuse fire-fighting courses together with marine training to ensure multi-skilling of staff.
“As passenger traffic in and out of Entebbe airport continues to grow, it is pertinent that safety and security are also enhanced,” Bamwesigye remarked. Over the years, the aerodrome rescue and fire-fighting services unit at the airport has continued to play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and security of airport operations and attending to emergencies within the surrounding water bodies.
Several trainees who underwent the sensitisation in the island communities early this month noted that it requires physical fitness and mental stability. However, the leaders remarked that because the training requires a bit of physical fitness, many females shy away from it. The workshop also involved some drills such as jogging and open water swimming.
In 2022, the minister for transport and works Gen. Katumba Wamala inaugurated the aeronautical and maritime search and rescue committee which oversees the rescue operations for persons who are, or believed to be in distress resulting from the use of air and water transport. The committee comprises representatives from all relevant ministries and is chaired by the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Works and Transport.
In the same regard, the minister commissioned the Maritime search and rescue call-centre at the fisheries training institute in Entebbe municipality. The centre currently coordinates rescue operations on lake Victoria, and can be accessible via a voice call code 110 to report distress incidents within Uganda waterways and disseminating information to relevant stakeholders.
About The Author
