TheCable

The Borno state fire service says it has 60 trucks but only one driver.

Ambursa Pindar, the state fire service spokesman, who disclosed this to TheCable, said about seven drivers of the service retired in December 2016, leaving only one of them on the ground.

He said their resignation was a challenge to the service – in terms of responding promptly to fire incidents in the state.

He said the organisation had written more than three letters to the ministry of information, home affairs and culture for the engagement of drivers but that it did not get a response.

Pindar alleged that the hazard allowance of firefighters has been N50 since 1998.

“In 28 March 2017, for example, we wrote to the ministry to employ six drivers on contract to complement the effort of our only driver, but we did not get any response,” he said.

“Our director has on several occasions driven to the scene of fire outbreaks because there was no driver. There was a fire outbreak at the Konduga IDP camp; the director drove himself to the scene of the incident to address the problem.”

He explained that the department had recorded 114 cases of fire accidents in the state capital since January.

“Sometimes there would be four cases of fire outbreak in the state capital, and the department becomes helpless because of lack of drivers,” he said.

“We proposed N10,000 for contract drivers to the state government, but they are yet to give any response to all our request.

“There are also no sufficient firefighters in the state capital, we have only 111, but we recently lost one of our fire women, so we are now 110, but we are not enough to provide all the services because some of us are not trained.

“About 40 of our firefighters retired in the year 2016. Six more fighters retired in January. So manpower is a major challenge to us.

“We are the last to be employed in this department since 1989, no employment till date. The hazard allowance to staff is N50 since 1998.

“The directorate has eight sub-stations in Maiduguri metropolis and Jere, and 10 zonal fire stations, but only three are functioning which are those at 707 housing estate, Maiduguri Monday Market and government house.

“The Maiduguri Monday market has five fire-fighting trucks but there are no drivers or adequate staff to ensure prompt response to fire incidents. We also don’t have foam chemicals used in quenching fire.

“We have made a proposal for fire stations in 505 housing estate, state mechanical workshop, 1000 estate, state low-cost, Kano motor park, 303 housing estate and Monday market, Damboa road, Shettima Ali Munguno, Shehu’s palace, and Polo road.

“The fire stations when established would go a long way in addressing cases of fire incidents at the right time.

“We have some stations that are yet to be completed in the state… low-cost, Kano motor-park…. Boreholes, over head tanks, buster pumps and underground reservoirs are yet to be provided.

“We also lack walkie talkies to communicate with any of our unit.”