By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The Federal Fire Service FFS has declared full preparedness to respond to fire emergencies during the Yuletide and Harmattan season, warning Nigerians against bush burning, fireworks and careless handling of electrical and cooking appliances, which it said account for most fire outbreaks during the period.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja during an interactive session with journalists shortly before a meeting with zonal controllers, the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Mr Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, said the Service had placed all its operational personnel on full alert nationwide.
“All our operational men, there is a standing rule. No leave, no break. You must be on duty during this period,” he said, adding that “there’s nobody that is going on leave and there’s nobody that is going on break. So we have our men fully on ground.”
Adeyemi explained that the Service had commenced virtual meetings with zonal controllers across the country as part of preparations for the season, noting that the initiative was aimed at both efficiency and safety.
“Today we are doing the first virtual meeting with all the zonal controllers, and the title is to prevent fire this Harmattan period,” he said, explaining that the virtual approach was adopted “to reduce costs of governance and not only that, for the safety of our officers because of the road.”
The Controller General announced the launch of a new Harmattan Fire Safety Campaign, describing it as a proactive response to the spike in fire incidents usually recorded during the dry season.
“This is a new initiative, yes, because we notice that during Harmattan, we have a lot of occurrence of fire. So we have to get prepared to reduce the economic loss, not only economic loss, even lives during this festive period,” he said.
He stressed that the campaign focuses strongly on discouraging bush burning and fireworks, both of which pose serious risks during the dry season.
“That campaign is against bush burning, against fireworks. We, fire service, say no to fireworks,” Adeyemi said, noting that “everything is dried up now, so little spark can cause fire.”
He warned that bush burning could easily spread beyond control, saying, “If you put fire here today or now, the fire can move from here to about two or three miles.”
Adeyemi identified carelessness as one of the most common causes of domestic fires, particularly during festive celebrations.
“Some of the common mistakes is carelessness, like overloading of the sockets,” he said, pointing out that appliances such as “fridge, TV, home theatre and so on” are often plugged into a single outlet. He added that “some of them are not original, yes, it causes fire,” while also cautioning against “leaving all electrical appliances on, unattended to.”
On kitchen-related fires, the fire chief warned that increased cooking activities during the holidays could lead to disasters if not properly managed.
“This festive period, there will be a lot of cooking. Nigerians should be careful and don’t leave their things, food, unattended to,” he said, urging citizens not to be “carried away with the festive period” but to remain safety conscious.
Adeyemi also renewed calls for households to equip themselves with basic firefighting tools.
“Every fire starts very small. One thing Nigerians are supposed to have at home is fire extinguishers,” he said, stressing that owning one was not enough. “Not even having it at home, they must learn how to use it, so you can attack the fire before the arrival of fire officers,” he added.
He disclosed that public enlightenment efforts were ongoing, noting that “last two weeks, we completed our fire safety week,” during which officers were deployed to markets and other public places to educate citizens.
“The education still continues,” Adeyemi assured, as he called on Nigerians to cooperate with safety guidelines to ensure a fire-free Yuletide.
The post Yuletide: Federal Fire Service warns against bush burning, fireworks appeared first on Vanguard News.
