By Kelechi Ogunleye
The Federal Fire Service (FFS) on Wednesday trained traders at Abuja Computer village and Bannex Plaza on fire safety measures, as part of its public advocacy and sensitisation programme.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was attended by traders, customers and leaders of various associations in the markets.Mr Oduye Sunday, Head of FFS Investigation, Inspection, Enforcement and Special Duties, saidthat the sensitisation was aimed at imparting knowledge, to enable the participants take professional action during fire emergencies.“
This knowledge and training will make people stay at alert as fire safety information is important to all,” he added.He added that it was important for citizens to understand that approaching fire to save lives without the basic rescue knowledge was dangerous.Sunday said, although citizens were encouraged to reach out to fire service stations during emergencies, they should be able to tackle small fires to avoid escalation.NAN reports that the training was on professional use of fire extinguishers, fire blankets and fire trucks.He advised the traders and all citizens to purchase fire fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers and blankets from certified vendors.“It is advisable to consult fire service, because we have our certified vendors and we guide the public on the right extinguishers to purchase.”
Sunday further said that the service plans to carry out fire safety outreaches across the FCT and nationwide.Earlier, Chairman of Computer village, Mr MacDonald Ajuogu appreciated the service for the sensitisation campaign.He said that the market had experienced minor fire sparks due to illegal connections and expressed fears that it may lead to major fire outbreak.A phone vendor at Bannex plaza, Mr Emeka Obi said that he was impressed by the detailed training carried out by men of the fire service.Obi said that the training was important because most of the marketers have cars with fire extinguishers but barely knew how to operate them.He said that the training would ensure safety at work places, homes and everyday activities.(NAN)
