Season of Fire

As the dry season gets drier, fire disasters continue unabated around the country. Clement IDOKO and OLALEKAN OLABULO report that the underlying problems faced by firefighters also contribute to their inability to stop the disasters.

AS soon as the dry season sets in, cases of fire outbreaks across the country often increase, sometimes in a phenomenal trajectory. The cold, dry wind could, in no small measure, help even a flicker of flame to billow out of proportion and destroy properties worth billions of naira, even lives. This is often the story around the country at a season like this.

This week alone major fire disasters had been recorded in Lagos, Nnewi, Ibadan, Uyo, Kano, Akure  and other major cities. In Uyo, a Coca- Cola depot went up in flames while the timber market in Nnewi was virtually destroyed as properties worth N3 billion were reportedly lost. In Akure, the Odopetu market went up in flames just before the New Year, a tragic end for the year’s business for the traders.

In like manner, quite a number of major public buildings across the nation have at one time or the other succumbed to fire disasters. The old NITEL building in Lagos, Central Bank of Nigeria, university campus hostels, factories and the like, had all at one time or the other been engulfed in flames, despite safety measures put in place to stop fire outbreaks.

Most of these fire outbreaks can be attributed to several factors such as storing of adulterated fuel, power surge, electric sparks and illegal power connection among others. In fact the possibility of fire crackers causing major fire outbreaks informed its ban during the festive period.

According to the Federal Fire Service (FFS) in a document released late last year, property worth over N16 billion was lost in 809 fire incidents in Abuja and Lagos from January 2015 to June 2016. Within the same period, N70 billion was saved, while 29 people lost their lives, and 58 were rescued.

The fire incidents involved 79 public and government buildings, 239 private buildings, three educational establishments, nine shops and 61 petrol stations, among others underscoring the fact that no building is actually immune from fire disaster in the country, with electrical equipment, electric sparks, gas explosion, high voltage and bomb blast being majorly responsible for the fire incidents. Most of the time it was as if fire fighters were helpless in the face of these huge fire disasters.

Fire service, equipment and response

When fire disasters claim properties worth millions of naira, including lives, the question often recur: why was the fire not prevented despite the presence of fire servicemen. Victims always complain of late arrival of fire fighters, while the fire fighters also complain of lack of motivation, equipment, functional vehicles, hydrants, accessibility, including the victims who they often race to their abodes to help.

A top official of a Fire station in Lagos, who would not want to be named in print, noted that the fire service had always come under criticism for inefficiency, slow response to emergencies, but the whole blame should not be on the fire fighters alone.

“We are aware of several problems facing us in curtailing fire outbreaks but how well is the fire service equipped and funded? The story is pathetic. Sometimes the routes and access roads are not there or difficult to pass through,” he said.

Abuja fire situation

Sunday Tribune investigation reveals that there are only 13 fire service stations in Abuja, the nation’s capital, a situation which is totally inadequate for residents of the capital city of the most populous black nation in the world.

These fire stations are located in Asokoro, Games Village, National Judicial Institute, Kubwa, Gwarimpa, Garki Market, Kaura Market and one station each in the area councils of the territory. Similarly, there are other fire stations that are under construction at the moment in Maitama, Wuse 2, Mbora, Utako, Gaduwa and Kaura districts.

Unlike in other countries of the world where fire service is a department of its own and an integral part of administration, in Nigeria, the fire service is under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Therefore, bureaucracy may likely be one of its greatest undoing.

“When you are like a parastatal under a ministry in Nigeria, problems won’t be solved on time because there is not direct access and the fire service is suffering because of this,” a fire officer who would not want to be named or release information about his salary told Sunday Tribune.

The problem of equipment also stares the Abuja fire service in the face. According to the Minster of Internal Affairs, Lt General Abdurahman Dambazzau, “The last time equipment were procured was sometime in 1996. The equipment in the inventory today were those procured between 1985 and 1996, and since then there was no procurement. On assumption of duty I went round their stations and I discovered surprisingly the dearth of fire-fighting equipment.

“And with the experiences in fire incidences all over the country we discovered that such a situation should no longer hold and therefore we reflected that in the 2016 budget with the aim of equipping the fire service and also improve its capacity. So (it is for) both equipment and training and of course the welfare of the personnel.

“This approved procurement is going to go a long way to provide the service with the necessary equipment even though this is just a start. We also, hope that the 2017 budget will avail us with the opportunity to procure more equipment for the Federal Fire Service.”

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Mr Collins Elechi, the Abuja fire service has about 2,000 personnel. However, to prevent more fire outbreaks during this time, Mr Elechi, has warned that the harmattan season is characterized by combustibles or free burning materials which normally go up in flames at the slightest opportunity and so resident should be wary of this.

Lagos Fire service

The Lagos State Fire Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Lagos State. Established in 1972 by the Lagos State Law Cap.42 of 1972, it is primarily tasked with managing fire emergencies in Lagos State. The service is responsible for fire protection and community safety among residents and visitors across the state.

The Lagos State Fire Service presently has fourteen service stations in different parts of the state with over five hundred personnel spread across the stations located at Alausa, Agege, Badagry, Eti-Osa, Epe, Iganmu, Ikeja, Ikotun, Ikorodu, Ilupeju, Isolo, Ojo and Onikan.

Director of the state fire service, Rasak Fadipe, while speaking with the Sunday Tribune stated that efforts are on to add two more stations to the existing ones for greater efficiency.

The fire service boss also stated that work had been concluded on the two new stations and that they would commence operations “any moment from now.”

He listed the major challenges of the service to include constant attacks from hoodlums, late distress calls to the service and high rate of fire incidents in the state being a mega city with a dense population.

“The attacks on firemen by hoodlums, who accuse us of getting late to scenes of fire incidents have continued unabated. This has affected the operations of the fire service in Lagos State among other hindrances to our operations,” Fadipe said.

Stark contrast

Both Abuja and Lagos are big cities in the country. One is a former capital city and an emerging mega city, while the other is the current capital, yet both pale into insignificance when their fire service capabilities are compared with that of a city like New York.

The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is a department of the government of New York City. Apart from fire protection, it also engages in technical rescue, primary response to biological, chemical and radioactive hazards, and emergency medical services to the five boroughs of New York City.

While Lagos has about 500 personnel, the FDNY is the largest municipal fire department in the United States and the second largest in the world after the Tokyo Fire Department. It employs approximately 10,200 uniformed fire fighters and over 3,940 uniformed Emergency Medical Technicians, paramedics, and Fire Inspectors.

The FDNY serves more than 8 million residents within a 320 square mile area, unlike the Lagos Fire service that serves more than 20 million residents with just 500 personnel.