Here are some presumptions…where
there is smoke there is fire as sure as when an electric pole rots it
topples over and if it is situated in a densely populated area, said pole and accompanying power lines
will collapse on a house or two or three
which will be destroyed in the ensuing blaze. The least of your worries will be
the property losses if this occurs at night, there may be fatalities. However
if it occurs at say 2pm mid afternoon on a working day, you will only be
counting the cost of possessions lost in
the fire.
The only music that plays when
the roof is on fire are the sirens of the fire truck that arrives to put the
fire out. In the ensuing commotion its easy for you to lose your head. In this
event this is a series of blog posts offering advice on what (not) to do, from
personal experience.
@the scene
Statements to Police
Picture the scene, TV news camera
crews, smoke billowing, babies crying , neighbours in their multitude offering
a helping hand either putting out the fire or rescuing what’s left of your possessions.
The fire truck arrives, uniformed police are at the scene and they want to
speak to you.You answer their questions as they write down your responses. This
is what they call a statement. However this is not enough in Uganda, because of
our peculiar circumstances. The fire brigade is a division of the police but it
is not the police therefore it is a mistake to think that one statement will do
for all. The statement you make at the scene is invariably a statement to the
fire brigade. They all look and dressalike, true but they are not alike. Therefore, you must head to the area
police station as soon as possible and make an official statement.
PS: It can’t be stressed enough
how important it is to get the names of the officers at the scene, the police in Uganda, wear their names on their
shirts and invariably have mobile phones, so take their names and numbers
down. That also goes for any representative of the power company, in our case
UMEME, who makes it to the scene.
Photographic Evidence
This means taking pictures of the scene. Officers from
the police and fire department as well as from UMEME will take pictures at the
scene to put in their reports. It’s also important that you take pictures of your own because the
police, fire department and UMEME will not give theirs to you. Also if the
cause of the fire is a falling power line, then its not your fault but the
power company’s fault and the pictures are evidence in any case of negligence
you may or may not bring against UMEME. More importantly if you are going to
claim compensation from UMEME you need pictures to show the extent of the
damage you suffered that must be compensated.
PS: If you don’t have a camera,
use the one on your phone or call any one you know that has a camera and ask him/her
to the scene to take pictures and pay for these services, they are essential.
