The Enugu State Fire Service has appealed to entrepreneurs to ensure their business premises have firefighting equipment to ensure that fire outbreaks are put under control on time.
The State Chief Fire Officer, Mr Okwudili Oha, gave the advice on Friday in Enugu while speaking on the need for people to take actions against sudden fire outbreaks.
According to Oha, as we approach the dry and harmattan season, everybody especially factories and business place owners must be conscious, alert and ensure they have minimal firefighting gadgets.
He added that the service had already commenced its yearly Fire Safety Re-assessment Tour.
He explained that the tour would ensure that factories and business premises owners are adequately sensitised, and persuaded to put firefight equipment and gadgets in their factories and business centres.
Oha also said that the re-assessment tour would also provides the opportunity of issuing out Fire Safety Certificate to operate such factories or business premises, after they must have complied with the minimum fire safety standard.
“The best way to defend ones business or factory from fire incidence is to take the preventive or pro-active approach.
“It entails ensuring that firefighting equipment such as sizable fire extinguishers, water host/pipe, safety point and clear exist route as well as central electrical switch are provided.
“Again, the staff of the factory/business place must be oriented on what to do, and how to use the firefighting equipment/gadgets as well as how to get to the safety point and exist route on time,’’ he said.
The chief fire officer, however, urged residents to continue to use existing toll Free State emergency number, which is 117, to report any fire incident in their area.
He said: “the fire service emergency numbers remain 07065409291 and 08169618538 for Enugu metropolis.
“Others are 08036364051 for 9tt Mile Corner Fire Station; while 08068079367 is for Nsukka Fire Station.’’
Oha noted that the service was well-equipped and ready to attend to any fire incident in the state. (NAN)
