The Lagos State government has sensitized market men and women in Balogun and other markets in Lagos metropolis on the need to be fire safety conscious.
This was contained in a joint statement issued by the Director-General, Lagos State Safety Commission and Lagos Fire and Rescue Services, at the flag-off of sensitization at Balogun Market in Lagos on ways of preventing fire outbreak, especially as the yuletide season approaches.
The Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola, tutored the market men and women on how to put safety precautionary measures in place to avert fire outbreaks such as removal of combustible materials like paper, rubber and wood, plugging of electric iron and kettle unattended to, keeping of flammable materials inside the house, refueling of generator while working or still hot, overloading of electrical circuits and using of camp gas or cylinder indoor amongst others.
Mojola, noted that in case the market men and women discovered or suspected any fire incident, they should raise alarm, leave the building to the nearest available exit and call Lagos State Emergency toll free lines on 767 or 112 among others..
According to him, there was need for all market men and women to be fire safety conscious because fire was not friendly to anyone and this was essence of sensitizing the market men and women not to risk their lives and avoid anything that could cause fire outbreaks in the state.
The DG advised the general public to take precautionary measures, and prevent fire outbreaks during the forthcoming yuletide season.
In the same vein, the Director, Lagos Fire and Rescue Services, Mrs Adeseye Margaret Abimbola, also corroborated what DG, Safety Commission, Mojola said, saying that Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, did not want any of them to die, but be living in healthy and good conditions.
The Director, LFRS, who was represented by Mrs Ololade Alelamole , advised the market men and women to always prevent fire in their markets by not overloading electrical sockets and desist from storage of petrol in their markets, adding that as a matter of importance, they should avoid anything that could cause electrical spark in their markets.
She hinted that the sensitisation would take them to almost 20 markets across the state, adding that fire safety was everyone’s responsibility.
The Fire officials also displayed practicals on fire prevention and elementary fire fighting.
The director said that the tips to the market men and women were imperative to prevent fire disasters and to imbibe safety consciousness during the forthcoming yuletide season in markets and other places of public interest.
“We are here to converse for the economic development of the State, we don’t want incessant fire outbreaks in our markets any more and we know that all these incessant fire outbreaks are as a result of peoples negligence and carelessness.
“Our people should be careful in handling fire because any mishandling can lead to disaster, all electrical appliances should be put off before locking up the shops for the day”, she said.
The director also called for cooperation among the market operators and fire service to achieve a zero fire outbreak incident in the state.
