At least 136 lives and property worth N3 trillion were lost to different fire outbreaks across the country in 2021.
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the Federal Fire Service saved properties worth N18.9 trillion, while no fewer than 587 lives and rescued 260 persons from fire incidents last year.
Aregbesola said this during the decoration of newly promoted Deputy Controllers General of the Service in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the service received a total of 2,845 distress calls, according to a statement by the minister’s spokesperson, Sola Fasure.
The statement, “Last year, the FSS responded to 2,845 SOS distress-calls in which 136 lives and property worth N3 trillion were lost.
“But the FSS was able to save 587 lives, rescue 260 persons and save property worth N18.9 trillion.
“In sum, the stock of the FSS has grown in leaps and bounds as the agency has contributed significantly to national security – in the protection of lives and property.”
Aregbesola noted that between 2015 and now, the Federal Government led by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), committed more resources into the Fire Service than since its creation in 1901.
“The attention and resources devoted by the Buhari administration since 2015 is more than whatever has been put into it since its establishment in 1901. Between 2015 and 2020, the Federal Government provided 106 modern firefighting trucks to the FSS.
“Last year, the Federal Executive Council also approved (and have since been procured and deployed) N10.4 billion infrastructure upgrade comprising of 44 firefighting engines, 15 water tankers, 15 rapid intervention fire engines (not conventional ones) that can go into the nooks and crannies to respond to distress-calls and 20 basic life support ambulances. Also, 17 firefighting officers were sent to Belarus for an advanced trainer-training course.
“These officers are the master trainers that will be training other officers on modern firefighting, disaster and emergency management.”
