The Federal Fire Service (FFS) said it has concluded plans to commence the enforcement of the much awaited national fire service code in the country before the end of this year 2014.
This move, according to the agency is to help save cost, property and most especially, lives.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, to mark the 2014 National Fire Fighters Day, the comptroller general of the service, Eng. Olusegun Okebiorun, represented by an assistant comptroller-general, Ademola Jolaoso, explained that most members of the public did not have the emergency number of the fire service, hence the delay in reporting fire incidents.
“Before the year runs out, we will start enforcing the document because we cannot continue to fold our hands while the country loses millions of naira everyday,” he said.
While attributing poor communication and distance to the slow response of fire fighters to fire outbreaks, he added that improved communication could solve the problem.
According to him, the 11 digits fire emergency number is also difficult for people to memorise, adding that the FFS has partnered the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) to inaugurate three digits number for emergency call across all the states of the federation
“What we have been trying to do is to improve communication and we are working on a fire alert system that is GSM-based and it uses a smoke sensor to send text message to the owner of a building and to the fire station,” he added.
Jolaoso cautioned fuel tanker drivers against over-speeding, noting that fire outbreaks involving tankers occur when they were involved in accidents, stressing that such crashes were avoidable if the drivers observed safety precautions.
Source: Leadership
