The Road Freight Association (RFA) returns to court later this month in an ongoing battle against the Emakhazeni (Belfast) fire department following a series of incidents involving truck operators being fined for their vehicles allegedly posing a fire hazard to the area. According to Gavin Kelly, spokesman for the RFA, municipal officials in the Emakhazeni municipal district are stopping trucks for being a fire hazard. A fire official with a fire extinguisher is then deployed to stand by the truck while an inspection is conducted before the trucking company is invoiced for the services of the fire official. While the exact amount for which truckers are being invoiced is not available, Kelly said it was a substantial amount. “Essentially trucks are being stopped randomly – regardless of what cargo they are carrying – and then because they are regarded by the official as a fire hazard the trucking operator is expected to pay the fireman to stand watch over the vehicle until it is no longer deemed a fire hazard. They are even taking photographs of the fireman with the extinguisher next to the truck to prove that they did render a service that has to be paid for.” Kelly said the argument was, however, that the trucks being stopped were not posing any fire threat. He said the organisation had no choice but to go to court over the incidents as all attempts to resolve the matter with the municipality had been in vain.
