Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau on Wednesday advised people of the state not to attack firefighters but assist them to save lives.
Gov Lalong said at the inauguration of a state-of-the-art firefighting truck in Jos, Plateau.
He said that instead of attacking firefighters, citizens shiuld imbibe the attitude of being patient with them in their duty.
“Allow them to carry out their assignment without obstruction of firefighters whenever they are to attend to fire outbreaks and other emergencies.
“Attacking them is a negative development which must be checked.
“While we understand the fact that the capacity of our fire-fighting agencies are not where it should be, our response cannot be to intimidate them.
“These are people who put their lives on the line and approach danger when others are running away from it, so, there is no justification to attack them,’’ he said.
The governor noted that one way to address the continuous attack was to create awareness and sensitise the public.
“We should teach how to identify and prevent fire outbreaks from tender age.
“Parents should also ensure they educate their children at home,” he said.
Lalong pledged the state government continuous collaboration with the Federal Fire Service to build the capacity of the state service to respond to disasters and provide safety for lives and property.
He, however, pleaded for ambulances to be delivered to the state from the recently acquired 20 life support ambulances by the Federal Fire Service.
Federal Fire Service Controller General Liman Ibrahim said that the inauguration of the truck was not only for firefighting purpose but the continuity of mitigation and aggressive sensitisation of the public.
“We will educate them and enlighten them on what to do during and after the occurrence of fire outbreaks,” he said.
Ibrahim reiterated the need for people of the state to be trained on first-hand and volunteer firefighting.
“Every fire starts very small, so if people are trained as first hand firefighters, they will be able to curb fire before it escalates.
“Citizens who volunteer will be trained for free on first-hand firefighting as our doors are opened for training,” he said.
He promised the state government of two additional firefighting trucks before the end of 2021.
“We have procured 106 of this trucks and the federal government has approved the purchase of additional 96 trucks, so two from those trucks will get to two senatorial zones,” he said.
The Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Buba, said that Plateau would require more fire trucks following the many incidences of fire in the state.
He expressed confidence that the truck would help in mitigating fire outbreaks and rescuing lives and property.(NAN)
