Anambra govt. to repair broken-down fire trucks

The Anambra Government has approved the refurbishment of all broken-down fire trucks to complement the few functional trucks to enhance the efficiency of firefighters.

This indication was given by Mr Julius Chukwuemeka, the state Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

According to Chukwuemeka, the move is to reassure people of the state of its commitment to protect lives and properties under the leadership of Gov. Charles Soludo.

Chukwuemeka noted that Soludo had kept his promises of ensuring the safety of the people, saying that government recoginses the devastating effects of fire outbreaks, especially on the lives of occupants.

The commissioner, whose ministry primarily oversees the Anambra Fire Service, said that based on the effect of such mishap on people, government had taken to its words to support the fire service in its optimal level to ensue efficiency while doing their duties.

“We have embarked on refurbishing of fire trucks that have been down for a while and are focused on delivering basic tools to support the fire fighters achieve success while combating fire outbreaks.

“Our governor, during his campaign, promised to, within the shortest time frame, overhaul social services to be of a high standard to provide quality services to the people. This is a promise we are eager to keep,” he said.

He said that the fire trucks, after their repairs, would be stationed at strategic places to complement the existing ones and ensure quick response to fire emergencies.

Chukwuemeka said that he had inspected the workshop where the fire trucks would be refurbished and was satisfied that work was progressing well.

He urged the contractor handling the job to fast track repairs so that the trucks would be put to use immediately.

“The ministry, through the directives of the governor, has procured and delivered functional tools for its operations.

“They include the procurement of modern firefighting equipment, distribution of computer laptops, desktops and printers to the fire service agency, staff welfare among others,” he said.

Chukwuemeka said that the ministry would support the state fire service to achieve the desired goal where the markets, business centres and home fire outbreaks would be drastically reduced, if not totally eliminated.

He said that the trust posed on the ministry to ensure availability of water and steady power supply for the public and fire service to function well would not be taken for granted.

“We commend our governor for his commitment towards upgrading the state fire service for better service to the people.

“We are optimistic that the refurbishments will be done in due time and workers will optimally perform,” he said.