Written By: GABRIEL NWANZE

No doubt, effective fire fighting requires conducive environment to thrive. Hence, the Anambra State Government is working tirelessly to provide the enabling condition to encourage firefighters to discharge their duties effectively. In response to the rising challenges occasioned by fire outbreaks and to meet the expectations of the people in fire prevention and control, the Anambra State Fire Service is currently undergoing transformation, under the visionary leadership of Governor Willie Obiano.

This process commenced in October 2019, with the appointment by the governor of retired Air Vice-Marshal Ben Chiobi as the Managing Director of the Anambra State Fire Service, with the mandate to re-position the organization. Hence, the state fire service commenced transforming into an agency, which, when completed, will make it autonomous, with improved capacity to respond to emergencies.

Furthermore, eleven fire trucks were delivered to the state, with two brand new ones bought from Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited, and another two new fire trucks from the Federal Fire Service, under a renewed partnership that has led to the return of Federal Fire Service officers to Anambra State. 120 new firefighters will soon join the service under a fresh recruitment process as approved by Governor Obiano.

Facilities across the fire stations in the State are being upgraded, with necessary equipment put in place, such as the installation of twenty thousand-gallon capacity water resource channel at Ose, Ochanja and Marine markets, in Onitsha, to provide additional sources of water for fire fighting. In conformity with the digital demands of a modern establishment, the Anambra State Fire Service is at the fore front of tech-aided deployment of emergency response. An Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) is being set up in the Head Office Complex. It will foster response to calls through an app or through conventional phone communication, as may be preferred. The ECC will adopt Incidence Command System (ICS) principles, to coordinate response, and will have call agents and dispatchers available on 24-hour basis.

In line with its social responsibility, the state fire service played a key role in the fumigation of markets and other locations, to de-contaminate the areas as one of the precautionary steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Anambra State.

As often said, the best way to fight fire is to prevent it. This implies that the job of fire prevention is a joint effort between the government and the people. Thus, after the Covid-19 pandemic, Anambra State Fire Service will unfold a strategy to instill Fire Safety Management in the people.

It will adopt a three-pronged process that will involve awareness, emplacing safety infrastructure and enforcement. The process will commence with a massive awareness and sensitization campaign that will take the message of safety practices to homes and public places like markets, parks, offices, hospitals, schools, hotels, among others. This will ensure that people are well informed about preventing fire outbreak and taking instant measures to mitigate its effect, when it does occur, while awaiting the arrival of firemen.

With a more knowledgeable public, emplacing safety infrastructure will be facilitated, and will involve safety audits, and assessing buildings to ensure they have all required equipment for fire prevention and control, such as fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, emergency response plan, etcetera.

Enforcement comes next, to facilitate compliance to fire safety regulations. This will also require scrutiny on the level of compliance to the payment of stipulated levies for services rendered to attract Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the State and render more services to Ndi Anambra. Anambra State Fire Service is always here to serve you, and can be reached through any of its emergency lines: 09040134949 and 07026411444 or through the federal emergency line, 112.

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