The Federal Fire Academy (FFA), says it has trained over 6,000 personnel on fire safety management since inception.
The Director of Press and Public Relations of the service, Mr. AbdulRasheed Ashafa, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Ashafa said that the trained personnel included those with the Federal Fire Service (FFS), State Fire Service, Private, para-military, as well as military personnel.
On requirements for admission, he said that interested external candidates must have the necessary academic qualifications to enroll in the academy’s masters or postgraduate diploma programs in Disaster Risk Management.
He said that at the point of employment, officers and men of the service were automatically qualified for the basic firefighting course.
According to him, interested private sector trainees must submit a formal request to the service to apply for training opportunities in the academy.
“The academy has also trained four sets of graduates on both post graduates and masters in Disaster Risks Management,” he said.
The director said that the academy had so far played a crucial role in building the capacity of firemen from the FFS and other fire safety officers across various disciplines and organizations.
“Over the years, the FFA has produced highly trained firefighters through its courses in Basic and Advanced Firefighting and Rescue.
“Other courses are Career Progression, Incident Command Systems, Strategic Administration, and Breathing Apparatus.
“Trainees from diverse backgrounds, including the Nigerian Army, Navy, DSS, paramilitary agencies, individuals, and corporate bodies from within and outside Nigeria, have sought training at the academy.
“The academy boasts of state-of-the-art facilities for comprehensive training and simulations, including props like airplanes, automobiles, confined spaces, and a fire house,” he said.
According to him, the fire house prop is one of the latest additions to the academy.
“It is a modern, world-class automated facility designed for simulating various fire scenarios, extinguishment, search and rescue operations in buildings,” he said.
Ashafa said that the whole essence of the training was to equip the trainees towards tackling disasters in their various places of work and the country at large without casualties.
He said that the academy had also developed a robust training curriculum that aligned with current trends and realities in fire safety and rescue.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, recently inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony for the remodeling of the academy.
Tunji-Ojo said that it was aimed at transforming it into a comprehensive training institution for life safety systems for Nigerians and beyond.
The academy welcomes individuals from all walks of life to participate in its training programs related to fire safety and rescue.
