Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has promised his administration’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property of citizens as an effort to combat fire outbreaks in the state.
Yahaya made the promise on Tuesday during the inauguration of one modern fire fighting truck in Gombe.
He said that he was ready to double efforts to assist the fire service at the federal and state levels to ensure safety of lives and property.
“We can not avoid fire because some might come as human error so we shall double efforts to make sure people are protected.
“A lot of property and lives are lost in fire disaster but when efforts are made just to provide good attention in case of those incidents, then we will help to safe finances,” he said.
He further assured the federal government that the newly deployed state-of-the-art firefighting trucks would be adequately maintained.
“We are making a lot of efforts to open up areas with little road access to aid firefighting; we shall look for a good location for the fire service to operate from within the city centre,” he said.
The governor acknowledged that the state fire service was in need of more firefighters hence the need for recruitment of more men.
Yahaya, however, stated that there would be more demands by the state government to the Federal Fire Service (FFS) to ensure that the state attends to fire incidents efficiently.
Earlier in his remarks, FFS Controller General, Dr Ibrahim Liman, urged the state government to ensure the allocation of two utility vehicles to the fire service.
According to him, the allocation would enable FFS officers complement state fire service in the area of fire risk assessment in public and private premises.
“The other one will be converted to Rapid Intervention Vehicle with complementary equipment and gadgets for quick response in the event of emergencies,” he said.
Liman requested for “sponsorship of state fire service personnel in local and foreign trainings in view of emerging firefighting trends.
“Inclusion of the FFS in the State Security Council and strengthening of the state fire service through recruitment of capable hands.
“Welfare enhancement package for fire personnel to the paramilitary salary structure”.(NAN)