A Fire and Disaster Management expert, Mr. Virgil Akama, has called for the implementation of proper safety regulations and standards in firefighting in the country.
Akama, who is also the Managing Director, Assetbow Limited, said this during an interview on Monday in Abuja.
He said that the implementation of proper safety regulations and standards was necessary as it would ensure better coordination and synergy in firefighting across the country.
“As you very well know, the standards are not the same and we look forward to a nation with firefighting capabilities as obtained internationally.
“We all know that the current situation of firefighting in the country is not yet where it ought to be especially in the area of regulation,” he said.
He further said that there was a need for synergy and better inter-agency collaborative efforts in the area of firefighting.
The MD said that these procedures, if properly adopted would make a perfect scenario for more lives and property to be saved.
“In terms of multi-agency response, we want to see a response that is properly synergised, coordinated, efficient, and effective, hence, saving more lives and property.
According to him, firefighting in Nigeria has not been effective to the point where citizens are confident in firefighters in cases of fire emergencies.
“When there is a fire situation that involves lives, can Nigerians beat their chests so that it would be effectively and efficiently managed?
“Where there are inter-agency responses, it’s chaos, most times it’s not coordinated and there are situations where who is in charge is not glaring,” he said.
Akama also said that the issue of re-orientation of the populace on firefighting was very important.
“The citizens of this country are not well educated as to how the fire service operates and I think it’s a matter of re-orientation of the populace.
“The fire service personnel are not doing themselves any good not even trying to educate the public about their jobs and that’s the reason why sometimes they get to a fire scene and can’t do anything.
“No two fire incidents are exactly alike and there are very different items and mediums used to fight different types of fires and the public must be aware of this,” he said.
He, however, said that as a fire safety specialist, his organization had been in contact with the Federal Fire Service to synergies in acquiring more effective firefighting in Nigeria.
“As an organization and with the type of expertise we have, we have been able to point out a couple of our observations and proffered solutions to FFS Controller General alongside his management team.
“We have made presentations, especially during conferences, seminars, and workshops that relate to the firefighting and fire extinction profession.
“We have also tried to assist in the area of capacity building of the fire service and we will not relent as we plan on strengthening our relationship to achieve better results,” he said.
