The Lagos State Government has charged market men and women in all markets across the metropolis to be fire safety conscious during this Yuletide period.
This is contained in a joint statement issued by the Director General, Lagos State Safety Commission and Lagos Fire and Rescue Services, at the flags off a sensitisation at Balogun Market in Lagos on ways of preventing fire outbreaks, especially as the yuletide season approaches.
Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola, tutored the market men and women on how to put safety precautionary measures in place to avert fire outbreaks.
He charged them to remove combustible materials like paper, rubber and wood, and ensure that all plugged electrical irons and kettles were attended to, while they must avoid storing flammable materials inside the house.
Mojola added that they must not refuel their generators while working or still hot as well as avoid overloading of electrical circuits and avoid using camp gas or cylinder indoors, among others.
Mojola urged that in case the market men and women discover or suspect any fire incident, they should raise the alarm, leave the building through the nearest available exit and call the Lagos State Emergency toll-free lines on 767 or 112, among others.
According to him, “There is a need for all our market men and women to be fire safety conscious because fire is not friendly to anyone and this is the essence of sensitising our market men and women not to risk their lives and avoid anything that could cause fire outbreaks in the state.”
He advised the public to take precautionary measures and prevent fire outbreaks during the forthcoming yuletide season.
The Director of Lagos Fire and Rescue Services, Mrs Adeseye Margaret Abimbola also corroborated what Mojola said, saying that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, did not want any of them to die but to live in healthy and good conditions.
The Director, Lagos Fire and Rescue Services, who was represented by Mrs Ololade Alelamole, advised the market men and women to always prevent fire at their markets by not overloading electrical sockets and desist from storage of petrol in their markets and as a matter of importance avoid anything that could cause electrical spark in their markets.
She hinted that the sensitisation would take them to almost 20 markets across the state, adding that fire safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Fire Service officials also displayed practical steps on fire prevention and elementary fire fighting skills.
The Director said that demonstrating the tips to the market men and women was crucial to prevent fire disasters and for them to imbibe safety consciousness during the forthcoming yuletide season in markets and other places of public interest.
She said, “We are here to converse for the economic development of the State, we don’t want incessant fire outbreaks in our markets and we know that all these incessant fire outbreaks are a result of people’s negligence and carelessness.
“Our people should be careful in handling fire because any mishandling can lead to disaster, all electrical appliances should be put off before locking up the shops for the day.”
She also called for cooperation among the market operators and fire service to achieve a zero fire outbreak incident in Lagos State.