The Day, which was marked with personnel wearing blue with red ribbon and badge to signify water over fire, had the siren blown for some minutes for the personnel to demonstrate their firefighting skills.

The International Firefighters Day came into existence after a tragic incident in Linton, Australia, on December 2, 1998, during which five firemen were killed while trying to douse a wildfire.

A proposal was, thus, sent to all countries on January 4, 1999 to honour the brave firemen and others who lost their lives while performing their duty.

May 4 was chosen to coincide with the celebration of Saint Florian’s Day.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO II), Mr Prince Billy Anaglate, the Regional Commander, said the Day was important in the lives of firefighters as it recognised the sacrifices they made in their line of duty.

Firefighting, though crucial to the safety of people and property, involved a lot of risks, hence the efforts of officers must be celebrated, he said.

Mr Anaglate called on the personnel to serve with utmost integrity and commitment to ensure that fire cases in the region were reduced and lives and property protected.