LAGOS SAFETY COMMISSION, FIRE SERVICE FLAG OFF FIRE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
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The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the Safety Commission and Fire and Rescue Service, has launched a public awareness campaign focused on fire prevention in marketplaces throughout the state.
This campaign, as stated by the government, aims to prevent fire outbreaks in markets during the ongoing harmattan season, while also ensuring safety as residents prepare for year-end celebrations.
During the launch at Jankara Market on Lagos Island, Mr. Lanre Mojola, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, stressed the importance of traders being safety-conscious and aware of their surroundings to avoid fire disasters.
Mojola, recognizing that many markets in the state are following the government’s safety guidelines, emphasized that the awareness efforts must continue to minimize fire incidents as much as possible.
“Today’s enlightenment campaign is about fire safety, and you are all aware that the harmattan season has come, and harmattan comes with extra risks when it comes to fire. It is very dry, and there is a higher chance that we will have a fire.
“So the message is that they should be careful when carrying out their activities. Carelessness is a big issue because carelessness and human errors are the main causes of fire incidents”, he said.
Mojola added that the campaign teams are talking to traders about the importance of keeping safe and the need to adhere to all the safety rules and do away with all the highlighted activities that can trigger hazards in the markets, such as smoking, use of cooking
stoves and selling of petrol in the markets.
According to him “We identified that there are people that are still selling petroleum products in the markets and we are using this public enlightenment to work with the market leaders to ensure we remove these inflammable items. Beyond that, we are also reaching out
directly to the fire safety marshalls to take them through how to put out the fire, should the fire occur as well as train them with the use of fire extinguishers and the need to have fire detectors in their shops if a fire happens, they put it out before it becomes a big incident”.
On her part, the Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye said the enlightenment campaign is about educating the general public, particularly the traders in the markets, to understand the market fire safety tips.
Adeseye mentioned that in the past years, the State had recorded a large number of fire incidents in marketplaces, stressing that 75 per cent of the fire outbreaks were a result of carelessness. This prompted the move to sensitise traders towards preventing loss of
lives and property through avoidable fire incidents.
She said, “What happened in April this year where over 20 houses were burnt was as a result of carelessness, and from April till now, the fire incidents in markets are at 0.1 per cent compared to what we used to have, so there is a level of compliance, but the
government wants 100 per cent compliance. We want a safe Lagos and a State free of fire incidents, and that is why we are out here to remind them that sleeping in the markets is not allowed, the use of camp gas for cooking, and overloading electric sockets
should be discouraged while markets must ensure they discuss fire safety awareness during market meetings”.
Mr. Abdul Rahman Yusuf, Chairman of the Wrist Watch Sellers Association at Jankara Market, expressed his gratitude to the state government, the Safety Commission, and the Fire Service for their ongoing advocacy campaigns aimed at preventing fire incidents in the market.
Yusuf strongly endorsed the government’s fire prevention policies and assured that market traders would continue to adhere to all safety measures at all times.
In addition to Jankara Market, the advocacy team will visit several other markets, including Balogun, Dosunmu, Ereko, Saabo, and Mile 12. Other markets to be visited include Ojuwoye, Tejuosho, Boundary Alaba International, Iyana Iba, and Okokomaiko.
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