Lagos State has embarked on fire sensitisation in markets, educating traders on fire prevention and safety measures.
Addressing traders during the exercise that took officials from Ministry of Special Duties, Lagos Safety Commission (LSC) and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to the markets, Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde, said the losses recorded in the state as a result of fire informed the campaign.
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He said the campaign would be taken to other sectors, adding: “… Today we are with the timber sector. We will meet mechanics. We will reach markets where they sell things. We will hold stakeholders forum…’’
LSC Director General, Lanre Mojola said: ‘’We bring the message of safety to the grassroots. Like we say, prevention is better than cure. It is better to prevent fire than fight the fire, because when you fight the fire, many things happen. First is loss of lives, second is damage to property. This is why we are in the markets to talk to them about fire prevention and safety measures.”
Director of Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, lamented incessant fire, saying 2,583 outbreaks were recorded last year.
According to her, the service received 251 emergency calls in January, attributing the rise to negligence and delayed reporting.