Prevention: Avoid putting 3 fire agents – fuel, oxygen, heat – together – Expert

By Moses Omorogieva
A fire and safety expert, Mr Jumade Adejola, on Thursday advised the public against putting three fire agents – fuel, oxygen and heat – together to avoid fire outbreak anywhere.

Adejola gave the advice, while presenting a paper titled, “Need for Fire Protection in Homes and Offices”, at a book launch in Lagos.

The book being launched was written by a couple in the employment of the Lagos State Government, Mr Adedoyin Lasisi and Mrs Adenike Lasisi.

It has the title, “Introduction to Fire Protection and Management: A Practical Approach to Prevention and Management.”

Adejola, who is the Managing Director, Surveillant Fire Ltd., said that fire was a good friend if handled appropriately, stressing that it may become a worse enemy if not properly handled or prevented.

The expert pointed out that there were three fire agents that must never be allowed to be together if fire outbreak must be prevented.

“Fire needs three agents to occur. One is fuel. When I talk about fuel, not only petroleum, but things that can cause fire. People should be careful in keeping fuel at home now that there is fuel scarcity.

“The second agent is Oxygen. Where there is fuel and oxygen, it is a matter of time for fire to occur. The third agent is Heat.

“When the three agents are together, there will be fire outbreak, and you must do everything possible to ensure that one of the three agents is not available.

“Many people have property they don’t use always packed together, such can cause fire,” he said.

The expert commended the writers of the book, stressing that only foreign books on fire were available in Nigerian libraries.

Adejola charged government and Nigerians to be prepared for incidence of fire and urged all to always prevent it.

Another Guest Speaker, a Master Warrant Officer of the Nigerian Army, Akintunde Agunbiade, spoke on the topic, “Need for Multi-Agency Collaboration in Fire Disaster Management”.

Agunbiade said that if fire incidents are not prevented, it would affect all.

He added that because of the danger associated with it, there was the need for all agencies associated with emergencies to always work together and share experiences.

Mr Omobolaji Gaji, the Chairman of the occasion, said that he was happy to see a director in his ministry putting together in a book his experience at all levels, particularly on fire prevention and management.

Gaji, who is a Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry for Environmental Services, noted that apart from educating people on fire prevention and management, the book would also encourage others to document their experiences and thoughts for others to read.

He urged the men of the Fire Service to always document their activities and findings from their operations for others to learn from.

The Commandant, Armed Forces Resettlement Oshodi, AVM A.H. Ameshilola, represented by Lt.-Col. Abel Adeshina, commended the writers for the book.

Ameshilola called for trainings on fire to be added to the school curriculum for students to be taught about it.

Also, Mrs Margret Adeseye, the Director, Lagos State Fire Service and Rescue Agency Director, represented by Mr Semui Adeshina, said fire was a dangerous disaster that had confronted mankind for a long time.

She called for all hands to be on deck to prevent and control fire.

Adeseye said there was need for all to be educated on issues relating to fire prevention, stressing that the book was one way to teach people about fire.

One of the authors, Mr Adedoyin Lasisi, said that all the fire incidents in Lagos were all preventable, if people had been proactive about safety.

Lasisi said: “We decided to document our thoughts, experiences, data analysis collected for over 10 years as a retrospective study.

“The book is for Nigerian citizens as a guide. It may interest you to know that only 10 per cent of houses in Nigeria have fire extinguishers.

“However, we put our experiences for others to learn.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Christiana Fadare