The Gombe State Fire Service has called on residents to be more proactive and safety conscious in order to prevent fire disasters in the state during the dry season.
The Deputy Operations Officer of the service, Mr Salihu Doho, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Wednesday.
He said that the call had become imperative in view of the commencement of dry season, with the possibility of fire outbreaks, stressing that materials were now gradually becoming more inflammable because of the change in weather.
“We are advising the people of this state to take preventive measures due to the havoc that fire outbreaks can wreak. The damage that fire outbreaks often leave behind is always huge.
“We have embarked on sensitisation because we want to save lives and property, while ensuring that minimum damage is recorded should there be any outbreak,” he said.
Doho advised people to cultivate the habit of switching off all electrical appliances and unplugging them while leaving their apartments, offices and shops.
He also advised them to keep gas cylinders in an open space, far from their kitchens, to prevent fire disasters, adding that they should avoid activities that could trigger fire incidents.
“While giving the statistics of the operations of the service in 2020, Doho said that between January and September, the personnel were able to save up to 350 lives within the state.
“From our records, three persons were affected with injuries, while we received 196 incident calls.
“We were able to save property worth more than N955 million, while others worth more than N221million were lost to outbreaks within the period,’’ Doho.
He said that no life was lost during the period under review, attributing this to the pro-activeness of the personnel, their prompt response to distress calls as well as the residents’ acceptance of safety campaigns against outbreaks.
Doho commended the state government for resuscitating the abandoned fire vehicles, saying that this had enhanced the capacity of the service to respond to several emergency calls at the same time.
