FCT: Council Chairman Promises Fire Truck, Others for Emergency Response

 

The Chairman of Abaji Area Council of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi, says the council will procure fire trucks, vehicles, motorcycles, and other logistics for its Local Emergency Management Committee to strengthen emergency response.

 

Abdullahi committed during the inauguration of the committee, supported by the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in Abaji on Wednesday.

 

The chairman said that the council would procure the firefighting truck to be stationed in Abaji, if the FCT could not do so, to ensure a speedy response to fire outbreaks in the area.

 

He commended FEMA for the tireless efforts to ensure that the committee was inaugurated, and for the series of sensitisation campaigns to educate residents on how to prevent or mitigate disasters.

 

“We will do everything humanly possible as a council to support the committee to effectively carry out its functions.

 

“I will also be deeply involved in the activities of the committee to ensure effective disaster risk reduction in Abaji Area Council,” he said.

 

The chairman urged the committee members, whom he said were strategically selected, to discharge their duties with all honesty and ensure that no one is left behind during emergencies.

 

Earlier, the Director of Forecasting, Response and Mitigation, FEMA, Mrs. Florence Wenegieme, explained that the committee was established to ensure disaster risk reduction at the community level.

 

This, according to her, is in line with the National Emergency Management Agency Act that provided for the establishment of State Emergency Management Agency at the state level and a Local Emergency Management Committee at the local government level.

 

She said that the committee would serve as the first responder to emergencies at the community level while awaiting the arrival of FEMA and other supporting agencies.

 

She said that members of the committee would be adequately trained on how to identify common disasters in the area and how to carry out rescue operations effectively and inclusively.

 

“The members will also be engaged in FEMA’s quarterly refresher meetings to keep them on top of their game, and update them on weather outlooks and modern methods in disaster response.

 

“FEMA will equally engage the committee members on simulation and drill exercises to equip them with the necessary skills on how to carry out rescue operations during emergencies,” she said.

 

Dominica Nwabufo