Harmattan: Rural dwellers drilled on fire safety

By Stanley Onyekwere

In order to prevent fire disasters during the harmattan season, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT ) Fire Service has intensified enlightenment of residents on basic fire safety measures.
In particular, the FCT Fire Service took aggressive fire safety enlightenment campaign to residents in the rural areas.
The Director, FCT Fire Service, Mr. Opetunsin Julius said the enlightenment campaign was to forestall fire disasters during the dry season.
Julius led a team of Fire Safety and Public education managers to Junior Secondary School, Pasali in Kuje Area Council.
He noted that the spate of fire disaster, not only in the nation’s capital, but across the country was alarming and needed some proactive measures to prevent it.
The FCT Fire boss while inaugurating a Fire Safety Club in the school recently, revealed that FCT Minister had given the Fire Service Management a marching order to ensure that the effects of the harmattan season was properly mitigated in the Territory.
He also explained that the idea behind the fire safety clubs in schools was to arouse the consciousness of preventing fire disasters in children.
According to him, the Service would replicate the club in most of the schools across the territory, especially in the rural areas, to inculcate fire safety in the children, who will also assist their parents in the preventive measures.
“Prevention is better than cure, with the incessant fire out break in the country now, we have to do something about fire prevention, especially as harmattan season is approaching and we all know that the rate of fire outbreak during harmattan is very high than in the rainy season.
“ We have to be very proactive by binging this enlightenment programme to the people at the grassroot.
“I advise parents to be very vigilant at home , they should ensure that there are fire fighting equipment, like fire extinguishers, blankets, they should also take some necessary safety measures to prevent fire out break.
“Residents should not compromise fire safety for security , they should Learn how to always create emergency exits at homes so that in case there is fire, occupants would find a way of escape”, he stressed.
On his part, the Vice Principal, Academic of the school, Mr. Yusuf Bisalla noted that the enlightenment campaign was an imperative measures needed to forestall fire disasters.
He also commended FCT Fire Service for the School fire safety club initiative, which he said would go a long in orientating the children.