Nigeria's fire emergencies response time now within 7 mins - Aregbesola

Aregbesola said this during the Pull-Out Parade of former Controller General (CG) of Federal Fire Service (FFS), Dr Ibrahim Liman, at the National Fire Academy, Sheda, in Abuja.

Aregbesola stressed the need for prompt response by residents in contacting fire service during fire outbreaks.

He further said that this could only be achieved when citizens make conscious efforts to have the emergency contact numbers of the fire stations in their neighborhoods.

“When there is fire, don’t lament, the best thing to do is to call the fire emergency line.

“Most people don’t have the emergency line which is not meant to be because many youths and adults have phones.

“We are working on an electronic App that once there is fire, there will be signal sent to the fire service.

“Rather than agonize, contact the service,” he said.

According to the minister, the retired CG was a creative goal getter as well as a team player, therefore it is not surprising that the fire service changed for the better during his tenure as he advocated for effective response time to fire incidents.

“The Federal Fire Service now has a rapid fire intervention engines/vehicles that can go to backstreets and enter anywhere because of their nature of being small and flexible.

“That is to tell the state governments that they don’t need too much money to purchase those small fire vehicles,” he said.

He stated that states could convert smaller vehicles into fire engines with the coupling of a container, pump and nozzle.

“So state and local government Chairmen have no excuse not to have an effective fire service,” he said.

Aregbesola charged the Federal Fire Service to be the best in Africa by sensitizing the public on fire prevention.

“Most fire incidents are man made, accidentally and due to negligence which can be prevented with enough awareness,” he said.

He further urged the Service to partner the the Nigerian Air Force to fight wide and huge fires.

“We must be ready for huge fires which could be bushfire or industrial fire like what happened at Next Cash and Carry Supermarket in Abuja that 1,000 fire trucks could not manage,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the popular Next Cash and Carry supermarket was gutted by fire on Dec. 26, 2021, and burnt to the minimum thereby leading to loss of properties worth millions of Naira.

In his valedictory speech, Liman thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his contributions to the growth of the FFS.

He said that the approval of the proposed budgets through the Ministers he worked with favored and aided the milestone achieved during his tenure as head of the Service.

The former Fire Chief advised men of the service to support the Acting C, Samson Karebo, asking the new Fire Chief to consult and avoid accepting unverified information that could lead to destruction of the service by selfish interest of persons.

Responding, Karebo said that among all the bosses he had worked with, he was privileged to have worked with Liman.

“The FFS in its efforts to ensure a safe haven across the country in fire and other emergencies, has launched an awareness and training campaign.

“Campaign for children and women with plans underway to schools, traders in selected markets and other public places in the FCT and other states of the federation,” he said.

In attendance at the pull-out ceremony were heads of sister agencies under the Ministry of Interior; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Correctional Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service.