The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has called for a review of the Fire Service Act of 1963 to put it in line with current realities.
A statement by the agency’s head of public relations unit, Nkechi Isa, said the Act has become obsolete and limits the law enforcement powers of emergency agencies.
The statement quoted the director-general of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, as emphasising that the laws must be reviewed for public safety.
“Is there any law that empowers the firemen to vet a building from the beginning of the construction to the end? They are supposed to be there from inception,” he said
Idriss said, in the FCT, emergency agencies rely on the Urban and Regional Planning Act to carry out enforcement.
He disclosed that, at least, an average of 5 fires are recorded daily in the FCT, noting that this was a high rate.
According to the DG, most fires are avoidable and could be traced to carelessness or willful acts.
The FEMA boss appealed to FCT residents to dial the toll-free number 112 if they sight or sense anything strange or unusual.
