NEMA Cautions On Fire Outbreak

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Rivers State yesterday in Port Harcourt urged members of the public to be safety cautious to avoid fire outbreak.

Mr Emenike Umesi, the NEMA zonal coordinator for South-South, made the call in an interview with newsmen.

He said members of the public should be cautious of elements that could cause fire outbreak during the harmattan season.

“Elements like electricity appliances and petroleum products should be handled with care to reduce the rate of fire outbreak.

“If the public can be careful with these elements, there will be some 70 per cent reduction in cases of fire outbreak.

“If we recall the fire incidents that happened in River State last year, you will realise that 75 per cent of the fire was caused by electrical appliances.

“Another 10 per cent was caused by other elements and carelessness which affected lives and properties in the state,’’ he said.

He warned against people leaving their electrical appliances in offices and markets on at the close of the day’s business as electrical spark can occur and cause fire outbreak.

The coordinator called on the people of the state to work together to avoid fire outbreak.

“When we have a group response, people will be able to fight fire effectively without serious damage in the end.’’

He noted that companies like Shell Petroleum Development Company, Total Nigeria Plc and Agip have good fire-fighting trucks.

“If these companies were present when Port Harcourt Mile 1 market was on fire, may be the effect would not have been as bad as it was, but we had only River State Fire Service and Nigeria Port Authority then,” he said.

Umesi called on people building houses and estates to create access roads to their buildings to make movement easy for trucks in case of fire outbreak.

He also urged the public to listen to its sensitisation programme on causes of fire outbreak, flooding and other disasters, as well as preventive measures.

Umesi assured the public that NEMA would not relent in its awareness campaign aimed at reducing loss of lives and property.

Chairman, Bonny Indigenes in Government Service (BIGS), Mr Godswill F. Allison (right), conferring with Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Emmanuel Alex Hart, during an end of year party in Port Harcourt last Wednesday.