(This video is from 2009 i have been told it has not changed)
THE Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Engineer Olusegun Okebiorun, has said that the 250 fire stations scaterred across the country are inadequate for effective and efficient response to fire outbreaks and other emergencies.
Okebiorun, who spoke at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja on Friday to mark the 2012 International Firefighters’ Day, said there was urgent need for expansion of the Fire Services in the country in order to ensure prompt and desirable response to disasters.
He also called on the National Assembly to ensure passage into law of the National Fire Safety Code, which would strengthen the enforcement capacity of the Fire Services in Nigeria.
The Comptroller-General, noted that the national fire safety code, which is expected to be in place before the end of the second quarter of this year, would help in the enforcement of the fire safety laws, saying that the enforcement capacity of the Federal Fire Service was presently weak because of lack of enabling legislation.
Engineer Okebiorun said once the code is passed into law, before anyone begins any building construction or infrastructure work in an estate, the Fire Services approval must be obtained.
He added that the pre-occupation of the Fire Service was to prevent occurrence of fire incidents and reduce the level of destruction by fire incidents on an annual basis where they occur.
He said: “That safety approval will detail what and what you will do with that kind of premises, detail of water supply to the premises, the fire protection equipment you have to put in place while constructing the building and members of Fire Services will inspect such buildings while they are under construction and certify them okay when they are finished.
“Nigeria, as a country, has 250 fire stations while the city of London, that is not up to Lagos, has 233 fire stations. The city of New York has about 1,469 fire stations. That tells you while the Fire Services in Nigeria require serious expansion.
“We are not saying this because it happens in America, Britain or Ghana but because the time it takes to respond to an emergency is very vital for the safety of lives that is going to be carried out at the scene,” he said.
He pointed out that prompt response was determined by how close the fire stations are to the scene of the fire disaster.
Source
THE Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Engineer Olusegun Okebiorun, has said that the 250 fire stations scaterred across the country are inadequate for effective and efficient response to fire outbreaks and other emergencies.
Okebiorun, who spoke at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja on Friday to mark the 2012 International Firefighters’ Day, said there was urgent need for expansion of the Fire Services in the country in order to ensure prompt and desirable response to disasters.
He also called on the National Assembly to ensure passage into law of the National Fire Safety Code, which would strengthen the enforcement capacity of the Fire Services in Nigeria.
The Comptroller-General, noted that the national fire safety code, which is expected to be in place before the end of the second quarter of this year, would help in the enforcement of the fire safety laws, saying that the enforcement capacity of the Federal Fire Service was presently weak because of lack of enabling legislation.
Engineer Okebiorun said once the code is passed into law, before anyone begins any building construction or infrastructure work in an estate, the Fire Services approval must be obtained.
He added that the pre-occupation of the Fire Service was to prevent occurrence of fire incidents and reduce the level of destruction by fire incidents on an annual basis where they occur.
He said: “That safety approval will detail what and what you will do with that kind of premises, detail of water supply to the premises, the fire protection equipment you have to put in place while constructing the building and members of Fire Services will inspect such buildings while they are under construction and certify them okay when they are finished.
“Nigeria, as a country, has 250 fire stations while the city of London, that is not up to Lagos, has 233 fire stations. The city of New York has about 1,469 fire stations. That tells you while the Fire Services in Nigeria require serious expansion.
“We are not saying this because it happens in America, Britain or Ghana but because the time it takes to respond to an emergency is very vital for the safety of lives that is going to be carried out at the scene,” he said.
He pointed out that prompt response was determined by how close the fire stations are to the scene of the fire disaster.
Source
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Emergency response is a joke in Nigeria as I highlighted here:
ReplyDeletehttp://cicoldblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/nigeria-this-is-an-emergency/