Concerned by the weather effects on infernos particularly during yuletide season, the Lagos State Government through its Safety Commission and Fire and Rescue Service, has begun an intensive public enlightenment campaign to prevent fire disasters in markets across the state.
The advocacy campaign, according to the government, is to forestall fire incidents in the markets and other places of trading during the current harmattan season.
It noted that during the season, the weather conditions often aid fire disasters to spread particularly within markets where the structures were often closed to one another.
The Director General Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, and the Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, flagged off the enlightenment campaign yesterday in Jankara market, Lagos Island.
Addressing the traders and newsmen, Mojola emphasized the need for traders in the market to be safety conscious and be mindful of their environment to prevent fire disasters.
Mojola, who acknowledged that most markets in the state were complying with the state government directives on safety, said that the enlightenment must continue to reduce the incidents to the bearest minimum.
He said “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 would 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.”
Mojola maintained that besides, the campaign teams are talking to traders about the importance of keeping safe and for them 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 and 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 on the need to have fire detectors in their shops, if fire happens, they put it out before it becomes a big incident.”
The Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, 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 recorded a large number of fire incidents in the marketplaces, stressing that, 75 percent of the fire outbreaks were a result of carelessness and that prompted the move to sensitize 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 percent compared to what we used to have, so there is a level of compliance but the government wants 100 percent compliance.
“We want a safe Lagos and a state free of the fire incident 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.”
The Chairman Wrist Watch Sellers Association, Jankara Market, Abdul Rahman Yusuf, appreciated the state government through the Safety Commission and Fire Service for consistently bringing advocacy campaigns to the market towards prevention of fire incidents.
Yusuf expressed strong support for government policies aimed at preventing fire in the marketplaces while reassuring that traders in the markets will continue to comply with all the safety preventive measures at all times.
Aside from Jankara market, the advocacy team will also visit Balogun, Dosunmu Ereko, Saabo, Mile 12 markets. Others are Ojuwoye, Tejuosho, Boundary Alaba International, Iyana Iba and Okokomaiko markets.
