Stop attacking firemen

When will this rubbish stop?  Attacking firemen who come to save lives and property from fire disasters is becoming rampant.

When will assault on firefighters at fire scenes stop?

• ‘No fire outbreak at any WAEC office in Nigeria‘
• Two months after fire incident, deaf couple yet to get medical care

Firefighters of the Abia State Fire Service were attacked by hoodlums on Monday on arriving the fire scene at the Ariaria Market, Aba. Although no life was lost, the firemen were wounded and their fire truck destroyed.

Reports have it that some of the perpetrators were arrested by the police. Our expectation is that the law will take its course so as to serve as a deterrent to others who have similar intentions.

Here in Nasarawa State, one of our firemen is now half-blind as a result of assault at a fire scene. He lost one eye.

Most of these attackers do not even have fire service emergency number. They keep on blaming firemen of arriving late or coming with no water in their vehicles.

The truth is that most of the fire outbreaks are not even reported to the fire service immediately, or the distances of the stations with fire scenes are long.

On the issue of coming to fire scenes with half-filled or empty tanks, the claim is not true as water is our main arm against fire.

What happens mostly is that water tank capacities of the fire engines are very small: ranging from 2,000 to 4000 litres, which get exhausted in a few minutes operation. Also, lack of fire hydrants to refill water during operation aggravate the problem. In most cases, firefighters have to travel long distances to refill their tanks.

Therefore, whatever the  grievance, stop attacking fire service officers, rather, assist them in spreading safety campaigns and reporting all fire and other related emergencies to fire stations nearest to you by  Calling 112 . Together we can achieve a safe society.

Aminu Isiaka,  Nasarawa State Fire Service, Lafia – [email protected]