Taming The Wild Fires

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firesWithin the last few weeks, thousands of Nigerians have been rendered homeless while lives and property worth millions of naira have been lost to fire incidents at various parts of the country.

In December 2012, a fire outbreak sent out plumes of smokes into the skyline of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos and caused some pandemonium among workers, staff and visitors at the airport. The fire was caused by the activities of welders working on the site and it resulted in the switching off of the power source. Thank God there were no casualties.

On December 26, 2012, a shop containing fire crackers exploded in a storey building in Jankara, Lagos injuring many and damaging cars and houses. Over 10 people?died while many were injured. Buildings were also burnt.?An inferno equally razed down the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, destroying about 21 rooms of the ancient palace. Although no life was lost, monies, Plasma television sets, jeweleries, clothes, and many other valuables were lost.

A segment of the country home of Nigeria?s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo at Olusegun Osoba Hilltop in Abeokuta, Ogun state was damaged by a fire outbreak, which consumed the office building in the complex.?The fire which lasted for about 30 minutes was allegedly caused by a power surge.

Just a few days ago, a fire incident occurred, gutting an office in the Annex Building of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja. About six persons, including four officials were injured when a petrol barge that belongs to MRS Oil and Gas cut fire and exploded at the company?s main depot in Tin Can Island Area of Lagos. There was reportedly a spark, which resulted in fire and explosion during hose disengagement from the barge. The explosion, which sounded like earthquake, shook the whole of Apapa and shattered the windows of the terminal building, about 50 metres, away.

About 3,000 people were reportedly displaced when several makeshift buildings went up in flames in Ebute Meta area of Lagos, rendering several families homeless. The fire occurred and raged all through the night.

Reacting to the recent spate of fire incidents, the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Mr. Olu Okebiorun blamed the incidents on the level of carelessness exhibited by Nigerians in matters of safety. The former registrar of Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals (NISP), Mr. Innocent Okumiri however disagreed with this position. He blamed the incidents on ignorance among the citizenry, concerning the importance of safety precautions.

What is paramount at the moment is a collaborative efforts by all stakeholders to minimize the spate of fire incidents in the country and reduce further loss of lives and property. First, it is important for every resident of the country to realize that the prevention of such incidents is a collective responsibility. There is therefore need to develop a safety culture to prevent further avoidable outbreaks and disasters.

?There must be health and safety considerations in all that we do,? says Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Executive Governor, Lagos State.

It is time for government and its agencies to enforce the existing laws that guide safety. For instance, The Factory Act of 1990 requires that every employer of labour must provide for prevention measures to ensure safety in that organisation. Today, there are several organisations that do not comply with this law. They neither conduct safety drills nor provide budgets for fire extinguishers and facilities. Yet, they operate unchallenged by any government agency. The violation of safety regulations by corporate organisations must be stopped by government.

Landlords, shop and business owners should learn from recent incidents that if precautionary measures are not considered in their process of investment, such investments could be lost in a few minutes. When embarking on bush burning during dry season, farmers should ensure that such fires are properly managed and prevented from getting wild and destructive.

?Over 90% of homes in Nigeria do not have fire extinguishers,? states Mr. Okumiri. This situation makes it expedient for the Federal and state fire services to embark on massive public awareness and education programmes in order to enlighten Nigerians on the importance of imbibing fire prevention and safety culture.

The absence of an existing fire prevention code is also contributory to the level of ignorance on fire prevention matters. It is therefore needful for the federal government to speed up the approval of the country?s fire prevention code proposed by the Federal Fire Service.

In this era of technological advancement, the federal and state fire services have to embrace modern approaches to their operations and procedures. Besides, considering the size and population of Nigeria, adequate manpower, fire stations and training of personnel should be provided for the service. This implies that the federal and state governments need to adequately fund their fire services for better performance.

It is equally necessary to review the structure of the nation?s fire service organisations as provided for by the constitution, in order to ensure proper coordination of activities. Politics, competition and lack of cooperation between the federal and state fire services may not yield adequate positive results in the overall interest of the country.

The on-going process of privatization in the power sector should be hastened up as some of the incidents were attributed to power surges, which are not unconnected with the inefficiencies in the systems of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

ALBINUS CHIEDU

CEO, OUTPUT COMMUNICATIONS

29, ADENIYI JONES AVENUE

IKEJA, LAGOS

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