The Federal Fire Service (FFS) said on Thursday it had established six additional zonal offices to boost service delivery across the country.
Mr Liman Ibrahim, its Comptroller General, announced this at a press briefing in Abuja.
“The essence of the spread is to deliver quality fire fighting services, improve the response time to emergencies and complement efforts of the state fire services.
“When I came, we had presence only in Abuja, Lagos and the six geo-political zones. We believe that the new zones will widen our reach and strengthen us to do more.”
He listed the zones to include Zone G, with headquarters in Minna, which is expected to cater for Niger, Kogi and Kwara, while Zone H, with headquarters in Sokoto, would cater for Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi.
Others included Zone I with headquarters in Yola, to cater for Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe, while Zone J, with headquarters in Owerri, would cater for Abia and Imo.
Others included Zone K, expected to cover Delta, Edo and Bayelsa, with headquarters in Asaba, while Zone L, with headquarters in Osogbo, would cater for Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.
Ibrahim said that the zonal headquarters would be equipped with firefighting trucks while experienced firemen would be deployed to man them.
He said that the federal government was focused on strengthening the state fire services for effectiveness and efficiency, adding that the FFS was already reaching out to state governors to secure their support and encouragement.
“I want to believe that a strengthened state fire service complemented by our presence in the zones will go a long way in addressing the gaps in fire service delivery across the country.
“We have also received approval for the establishment of additional five fire service training schools which will soon take off. They are to be located in Maiduguri, Calabar, Ilorin, Katsina and Umuahia.”
Ibrahim, however, said that the service had recorded very few fire outbreaks in the last six months, adding that more efforts were being put into ensuring that the country was free from fire outbreaks. (NAN)
