By Blessing Odega
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has embarked on sensitisation of stakeholders in the transportation sector in Jos, on effective ways to tackle tanker fire emergencies.
Mr Adebiyi Razaq, Zonal Coordinator, North Central Zone, on Tuesday in Jos, said the aim of the awareness creation and response workshop was to strengthen coordination mechanisms and raise awareness on best practices for preventing, managing and responding effectively to tanker fire hazards.
Razaq, further said that the workshop would also equip participants with practical knowledge and skills required to respond effectively to fire emergencies and to mitigate such using disaster management strategies and fire safety measures.
He said engaging local communities and transportation stakeholders was salient to enable them understand their role in prevention, evacuation, first response and post incident recovery as they were the first line defense .
The Zonal Coordinator, urged the participants, to pay rapt attention during the workshop as they would help carry out disaster risk reduction activities in their communities.
” Your role is invaluable, as emergency response is not the responsibility of a single agency but a collective responsibility of all,” he said.
Mr Abdul Hamaz, one of the trainees, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the workshop was insightful as the knowledge gained would enable him respond to fire outbreaks particularly tanker fires in a proactive way.
NAN, reports that the participants were trained on prevention strategies for road tanker accidents emergency, fire safety measures, prevention and treatment of fire injuries.
NAN, also reports that most of the participants were the National Youth Service Corps members, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) Plateau chapter and the Tankers Drivers Association of Nigeria, Plateau chapter among others. NAN
