Council boss harps on importance of fire outbreaks prevention

By Lanre Adesanya

The executive secretary Orile Agege Local Council Development Area, Mr. Adeyinka Hakeem has urge residents in the community to take prevention of fire outbreak seriously, stressing that the attendant colossal loss that usually follows fire accident makes preventive measures expedient.

The council boss gave this note of caution at a ‘Fire Preventive Public Enlightenment Campaign at the grassroot’ held at the council secretariat yesterday.

Adeyinka stated unequivocally that, “we are still in harmattan period, so we all need be mindful of the tips afforded us in sensitization forum by the resource persons from the Lagos State Fire Services , let’s be safety cautious, let’s not harbour flammable contents that can lead to fire outbreak”.

Earlier the Lagos State Fire Services man who anchored the sensitization talk, Mrs. Adegboyega gave an elucidating expository of the causes of fire outbreaks, what to do when fire breaks, the fire extinguishing equipments and their usage. The methods are oxygen starvation, blanketing and cooling.

She added that gas cylinders need not be placed in the kitchen and that indulging in the act are suicide bombers.

The chief fire officer at the event Mr. Adelaja who noted that over 209 fire accidents were recorded in December alone in Lagos and that October to February are high risk months for fire outbreaks.

He put to test the four types of fire extinguishing methods: the Class A fire which involves combustible materials like, paper, wood, clothing etcetera, which he said could be put out by of use water fire extinguisher.

The Class B fire involves petrol chemical products and could only be extinguished using foam fire extinguisher, the class C fire involves gas fire and could only be put out using carbon dioxide fire extinguisher and the last class D fire which involves metals especially aluminum which can be put out with the use of DCP or Dry chemical fire extinguisher.

He also called for attitudinal change on the part of the residents, who he noted give no preference to the firefighters on the roads on their way to fire scene, adding that street urchins many a time vandalize their vehicles, noting that both the public and government have a part to play in securing public utilities.

“32 brand new vehicles were bought by government for fire fighting which cost more than N20bn, the CDC should sensitize the people in their community especially the hoodlums who vandalize our vehicles, the spare parts of which could only be sourced in America, let’s join hands to protect the facility”. Adelaja reiterated.