- Acquires 40 fire fighter trucks
Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Federal Fire Service (FFS) says that Nigeria has lost more than N5.5 trillion to various fire disasters across the country in the past five years, while assuring the public that the disasters would soon become a thing of the past with the acquisition of about 40 new fire fighting trucks after about 30 years.
Addressing a press conference Friday in Abuja as part of activities marking this year’s Fire Fighters Day, FFS Controller General Engr. Joseph Garba Anebi appealed for the provision of enhanced Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for optimal and safer methods of dealing with different fire scenarios.
Assistant Controller General Quisqus Azagu, representing Anebi, said:
“For the past five years we have lost over N5.5 trillion to fire disasters in Nigeria. It is huge and quite significant. When there is fire, apart from losses from the properties, there is also loses in income, there is loss of lives, and there is also loss in suppression of fire.
“So, the loss is quite huge; it cannot be quantify easily because there are cases of fire disasters that are not reported to the Federal Fire Service. So, we know that fire is a major threat to the socio-economic stranding of the country,” he said.
Azagu and the management team in attendance revealed that in the last three years the agency had lost about six fire fighters in the course of duty but added that FFS made all the necessary arrangements for their burials and benefits.
When asked about the challenges facing the agency, Azagu said:
“There are obvious challenges; for the past 30 years we have stayed without having appropriate fire fighting equipment at the federal level.
“We don’t have men, but we are grateful to the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, which has transformed the fire service. Up till date we have acquired 40 new fire fighting trucks and we have been able to deploy some of these equipment to the zones where we have presence,” he stated.
While calling for upgraded Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), he said new emerging challenges have further heightened the threat fire fighters face on the field.