It is quite unfortunate that while we are talking of housing deficit of about 20 million, many buildings are engulfed by fire. These fire outbreaks do occur at residential and commercial buildings with its attendants’ loss of human valuables.
A case in point is the spate of fire outbreaks recorded in the Lagos metropolis in recent time which is becoming quite alarming. These fire incidents have destroyed not only buildings but valuables worth billions of naira. Fire inferno had in many cases claimed lives. There is an urgent need for fire safety precautions to be taken seriously by all residents across the country.
Many Nigerians are not quite aware of fire safety measures hence there is need for government at all levels to create more awareness to educate Nigerians on how to curtail fire incident – be it at home, workplace, market place, estates, hostels, hotels etcetera.
Recently the famous and ever busy Balogun market in Lagos Island was engulfed in fire.
Before the Balogun market fire incident, the popular Amu Plank Market in Mushin, Lagos was also engulfed in fire that resulted in colossal loss of goods and properties.
This development is worrisome, considering its effects on socio-economic life. Fire incidents often result in pains and deaths to victims, loss of human and material resources as well as damages to equipment and structures.
Findings have shown that risky acts such as storing of petroleum products at homes and reckless use of cooking gas are common causes of fire outbreaks in our society.
An expert David George said that firefighters has a major role in educating the public regarding fire and safety. According to him, by teaching fire prevention and educating the public on how to respond in emergency situations, they can help save lives and buildings.
However findings have shown that fire stations are not evenly spread across major cities in Nigeria. A fire fighter told africahousingnews.com that fire stations ought to be at market places and building with heavy inflow of people. He said, having fire stations evenly spread out, will make them readily available to fight any fire outbreak as quickly as possible.
Challenges of poor equipments, staff, lack of enough fire fighting vehicles and kiths have also been identified as reasons for poor fire control by fire service department across the country.
Residents should ensure that all electrical appliances are shut down to prevent fire outbreak in case of power surges. It is also dangerous to keep matches and other ignition materials within the reach of children. Other causes of fire outbreaks are careless attitude towards electrical outlets, faulty electrical wiring, damaged electrical appliances among others.
It is a must for all offices and homes to have efficient fire extinguishers as well as have functional knowledge of their usages.
We all need to be aware that fires could generally be put off by water or sand while a special foam chemical could be used to quench oil fire. People using gas for domestic or industrial purpose need to be more vigilant.
