- Safiu Kehinde
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged Enugu State residents to be alert and proactive against fire incidents to minimise loss of lives and property during the harmattan season.
Ngozi Echeazu, the agency’s Acting Zonal Coordinator in the South-East, gave the advice on Thursday during a one-day Training of Emergency Management Vanguards and Sensitisation/Public Awareness Campaign on Fire Outbreak Prevention in Enugu.
The sensitisation featured an awareness walk where fliers containing fire prevention messages and emergency numbers were distributed to residents within roads and streets in Enugu metropolis.
Echeazu, in her address, noted that the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, had directed that all Nigerians must join in the fight to reduce all forms of disasters especially the ones involving human negligence and mistakes.
According to her, preventing fire outbreaks and its highly destructive menace is everybody’s business.
“We must imbibe on ourselves and teach our children the habit of switching off all appliances when leaving home, school, offices, shops, worship places and other public places.
“As elders, we must stop children from playing with match boxes, lighters and other inflammable materials. Children and youths must be taught the dangers of setting bushes ablaze this season.
“We should have fire extinguishers or a bucket of sharp sand in homes, shops, offices to fight fire at its cradle; while having State/Federal fire services and NEMA/SEMA emergency numbers, like the ones in the fliers distributed, to call for abnormal fire.” she said.
Echeazu also advised businessmen, traders, tanker drivers and commercial farmers to take up insurance policies to indemnify (cover) their business assets, goods and crop against fire incidents and its attendant losses when they occurred.
On his part, the Chairman of Enugu South Council Area, Chief Caleb Ani, applauded the Federal Government and NEMA for the sensitisation and training coming at an important time to residents of Enugu.
Ani said that his council area would continue to partner with the Federal and State governments on issues of safety and welfare of the people.
Also speaking at the event, a Deputy Superintendent of Fire, David Ikor, noted that all fire started small, and should not be ignored but quenched to prevent escalation.
Collaborating, the acting Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mrs Chinasa Mbah, lauded NEMA for the massive sensitisation meant to check losses as a result of fire outbreaks.
Mrs Eucharia Onwugbunam, representative of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Enugu, said that the first aid that should be given to fire burns should simply be pouring water to the burn for it heat to subsidise and medical attention sought.
In the same vein, Mr. Emeka Oko, Coordinator of Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) in Enugu, said that LEMC and other stakeholders would further take the sensitisation message to all nook and crannies of the state.
One of the beneficiaries of the sensitisation, Miss Ginika Obi, said that the sensitisation had opened her eyes not to use her mobile phones while cooking with gas.