Members of the public have been advised to be conversant with fire safety measures and ensure that fire extinguisher is available in their homes, workplaces, and vehicles to combat the outbreak whenever it occurs.

The Director of Fire and Safety Services, Engr. Fatai Adefala, gave the advice at a sensitisation programme organised by the Department of Fire and Safety Services in the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs for staffers of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, at the Governor’s Office Press Centre, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Adefala, who spoke on “Fire Preparedness and Evacuation Procedure", described fire as a source of warmth, light, power and could also be man’s greatest danger, capable of destroying lives and property, saying its occurrence could be minimised when preventive measures were observed.

 He highlighted ways of preventing fire incidents to include avoidance of fairly used or refurbished gas cylinders, keeping mobile phones away from flammable appliances, having fire extinguishers at home and offices, as well as contacts of fire service officials, among others.

According to him, “the havoc wreaked by fire outbreaks in our society has become worrisome and this necessitated the need to enlighten members of the public on fire safety and precautions”.

The highlight of the training was a demonstration of procedures for operating fire extinguishers and different techniques for putting out a fire.