FFS commissions ten fire trucks worth N1.8bn

*Establishes six additional zonal commands, training schools
The Federal Fire Service (FFS), yesterday commissioned ten fire fighting trucks worth one billion, eight hundred and eighty-eight million naira to enable men of the service meet the growing challenge of fire outbreak across the country.

Commissioning the fire trucks in Abuja, minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola said within June to October last year, the agency has responded to 2,615 fire calls and has been able to save 754 lives and property worth one billion six hundred and twenty-six trillion naira across the country.

He said the arrival of the trucks would further consolidate and boost the growing challenge of fire outbreak in the sector and meet emergencies.

“With the deployment of the newly procured fire engines across the country, it would boost emergency response time.

The FFS is now in all states of the federation and is most responsive in saving lives and preventing humanitarian and economic disasters.

The years 2019 and 2020 witnessed frightening fires ranging from market to gas and pipeline fires around the country, therefore, these trucks and their deployments to various zones would ensure a drop in incessant fire outbreaks in the country,” he said.

Comptroller General of the Federal Fire Service, Dr Liman Ibrahim said the ten fire trucks are the some of the new modern states of the art fighting trucks and are part of twenty-one trucks approved by the federal executive council in 2018.

“It may interest you to know that the cost of these ten trucks is one billion, eight hundred and eighty-eight million naira and these trucks will enable us to further reduce emergency response time,” Liman stated.

He said President Muhammad Buhari is poised to repositioning the service for improved and effective delivery and has approved fund to address outstanding debts and payments to contractors.

The ten trucks are to be deployed to seven states; Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Oyo, Edo, Bayelsa and Anambra states. More are expected to be bought as funds are made available.

Meanwhile, the FFS has established six additional zonal commands in Bauchi, Makurdi, Kubwa, Abeokuta, Kano and Enugu to reduce response time bringing the total number of commands to twelve across Nigeria with each having a communication centre.

Also, six new fire training schools have been established in Katsina, Kwara, Osun, Abia, Borno and Cross Rivers states to cater for human and capital development needs of the service locally.