CURBING INCESSANT FIRE OUTBREAKS

Early this year, the operational commander for the Federal Fire Service, Mr. Ime Eyo, outlined some preventive measures against fire outbreaks. These are: always put off appliances when not in use; do not overload electrical sockets; do not smoke at bed time; desist from using mobile phones in the kitchen; put off phones while in the filling stations; avoid fixing electrical faults personally when you apparently do not have the skills; and always keep the candle on a candle stand. While these measures are good for prevention, there are also institutional challenges that need to be dealt with.

For instance, early detection of fire is a very crucial step in fire prevention and this should be ensured through individual alertness, volunteer system and the installation of automatic fire-detection systems at various points in buildings. Our urban planners should also ensure that there are enough access points through which fire fighters and emergency personnel could gain entrance to put off a fire before it spreads. In the case of the Jankara Market in Lagos last year which reportedly was caused by the combustion of explosives, there were very limited access for the fire-fighters and with that it was difficult for them to attack the inferno which razed 15 buildings.

To reduce the increasing regularity of fire outbreaks and the attendant dangers to lives and property, it is very important to: step up advocacy on the issue; conduct regular fire drills in public buildings; enforce existing fire codes and put in place new ones; and raise the profile of and the resources available to our fire services.