Adodo Osewengie
The Controller General, Federal Fire Service (FFS), Dr. Ibrahim Liman has said that from the beginning of the year 2021 to date, the command has only recorded 70 deaths as compared to the previous year’s 147 deaths.
Liman noted that there have been improvements in the worth of properties, from N1.4 trillion in 2020 to N19.4 trillion in 2021, rescued from fire incidents.
According to him, the figures of fire-related deaths in 2021 when compared to 2020’s has drastically improved by 100 percent and this he attributed to the acquisition of new fire fighting assets, provision of motivational allowances to the staff by the federal government, and on-the-job training of firefighters.
The CG said the 100 percent increment of the staff strength from 600 to 6000 and the expansion of its bases outside Abuja and Lagos across the entire nation also contributed to the decrease in the numbers of fire victims and properties destroyed by fire outbreaks respectively.
Dr. Liman highlighting some of the modalities put in place to check fire outbreaks noted that the command had set up a control room to handle all fire emergencies in real-time by taking records of well mapped-out video calls to get the locations of fire incidents. He added that the Nigerian Internal Security and Public Safety Alert System (NISPSAS) is also contained in the control room.
Not limited to the control room resources, he revealed that the staff has consistently been sent on regular training, both locally and across the shores of the country on how to manage various degrees of fire incidents while giving the service a boost in its capacity.
He applauded the growth in experience and expertise of the FFS noting that concerning this, other Africa countries now send their servicemen to Nigeria for adequate training on the usage of fire service equipment.
The FFS helmsman unequivocally stated that the citizens have huge roles to play in avoiding fire breaks by being cautious, attending safety education classes, and adhering to the fire safety code.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his contributions towards a better service delivery of the Federal Fire Service, stressing that the command may not have reached where it is supposed to be but has far grown above the stage it were six years ago.
Dr. Liman extended his warmest celebration to Christians who are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, advised that they should be cautious and observant to report any fire incidents through these emergency numbers 08032003556 and 112.
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Dr. Liman, according to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said “In 2015, the Service had only three rickety fire fighting trucks, but now, the Service has procured 141 modern fire trucks.
“With an increased staff strength from 600 to over 6,000 and expansion from its initial presence in just Lagos State and Abuja, to all the states of the federation.
“The Service now has 15 life-saving ambulances procured this year with well-trained medical personnel for effective paramedic service during emergency response.
“To reduce our response time we have a control room that houses the Nigerian Internal Security and Public Safety Alert System (NISPSAS) where emergency video calls are received, showing real-time video location of the caller.
“The service also procured a hydraulic platform fire fighting truck which has the capacity of fighting a fire in an 18-storey building, as well as used to effect rescue,” he said.
“Knowing the emergency numbers and calling them in good time when there is fire or any emergency, as well as refraining from obstructing emergency vehicles on the road to emergency scenes,” he said.
“If we all do these, Nigeria will have a tremendous reduction in the loss of lives and property from fire related emergencies,” he added.
“Nigerians need to know that they now have a better Fire Service than they used to have as anyone can visit the various stations in the State to see the new Fire Service in terms of equipment, personnel and technology.
“We might not have gotten to where we are suppose to be yet, but certainly we are not where we use to be six years ago, and all thanks to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari”, he added.
