SEMA ACQUINTS OGUN WORKERS WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

The Ogun State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has undertaken an evacuation drill exercise on emergency management for some civil servants in the State.

The programme (a simulated fire outbreak) was done in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ogun State Fire Services, Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Red Cross to observe reactions of public workers in case of fire outbreak.

Addressing the workers after the exercise, NEMA Coordinator in the South-West, TPL Iyiola Akande disclosed that it was meant to expose the workers to procedures of evacuation, use of exit or escape routes as well as use of fire hydrants and alarm bells during emergencies.

He urged workers to always be at alert for possible alarm which is meant to notify them of emergencies, pointing out that experience had shown that smoke in fire incidents kills victims faster

Also speaking, Staff officer of the Ogun State Fire Services, Mr. Samuel Olusegun Ajibola advised that people should endeavor to leave the location of any emergency situation as quickly as possible, warning that this must be done calmly to avoid stampede 

“In the event of a fire incident, it is important for employees to stay calm, on discovering a fire outbreak, no matter how small, you should raise alarm by shouting FIRE!, or operate the nearest alarm call point if available.  You should only attempt to attack the fire with nearest appropriate extinguisher or hose reel, if it is safe to do so, he added.

 In his reaction, Director of SEMA, Mr. Timothy Oyenekan assured that all emergency devices shall be checked to ascertain their functionality, while reports would be submitted to the appropriate quarters in case of malfunctioning.

A Permanent Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Megbope of the Ministry of Housing who witnessed the exercise commended the organizers for the initiative, describing it as an eye-opener to emergency management.

Mr. Megbope charged SEMA to extend the exercise to as many workers as possible in order to expose them to effective procedures of evacuation in case of emergencies.

Also reacting, another Officer of the Ministry of Housing, Mrs. Titilayo Oladogbon urged the government to train workers in the operation of five equipments installed in all complexes, adding that this would go a long way in reducing fire disasters.