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Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State commissioned four fire and emergency stations, two of which were situated in communities that share borders with Lagos State.
According to the governor, the fire stations located at Isheri, Agbara, Mowe, and Ifo were built in fulfillment of his campaign promises to the people of the state.
Additionally, the idea of situating two of the facilities at Lagos-Ogun border communities is to ensure Ogun stops relying on Lagos’ fire fighting facilities any time there’s a fire outbreak in the state, especially on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
While the fire station at Ifo was commissioned in January 2023, Agbara fire service station was inaugurated in February. The Isheri and Mowe stations, both located along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway were commissioned in March same year.
However, what the governor promised to be state-of-the-art projects to facilitate emergency responses have question marks all over them as they are either completely inoperative or partially functional.
In response to Pulse’s earlier report on the non-functional facility at Agbara, the Ogun State Government blamed the ongoing road construction in the axis.
To assess the operation status of other projects commissioned before the 2023 election, this writer visited the Mowe, Ifo, and Isheri stations. Sadly, the state of the fire service stations leaves so much to be desired.
Apart from fire trucks, the new stations lack essential equipment such as rapid intervention vehicles and rescue ambulances.
Why should a fire station have an ambulance?
According to Dooshima Dennis, a professional firefighter at the Federal Fire Service Headquarters, Abuja, a fire service station must be equipped with an ambulance service.
“The Emergency Management Services (EMS) is an important aspect of firefighting as it ensures individuals who are injured or affected by a fire receive the necessary medical care as quickly as possible,” she said.
She listed some of the essential equipment of a functional fire service station to include, water tenders, hydrants, rapid intervention vehicles, ladder trucks, rescue/medic ambulances, protective gears, search and rescue gears, self-contained breathing apparatus, communication systems, fuel dump, command vehicles, apparatus bays and so on.
“It’s not ideal for a modern fire station not to have ambulance services,” Dennis stressed. She, however, highlighted shortage of funds and designation of emergency services to other agencies as reasons a fire station may operate without rescue vehicles and ambulance services.
Pulse’s visits to the stations showed that none of the facilities has commenced full operations since they were commissioned in 2023.
Ifo station — 2 fire trucks no ambulance
Unlike the Agbara station which is under lock and key without equipment, the facility in Ifo along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway is partially operative but conspicuously underutilised.
According to one of the workers who spoke to Pulse Nigeria, the station has 10 personnel but only three of them were on duty when this writer visited the station.
A close look at the facility showed that the fire service station built to serve Owode-Ijako, Ifo, Arigbajo, Itori, and Papalanto is equipped with two fire trucks without an ambulance.
One of the workers said there used to be an ambulance at the station but the vehicle disappeared before their deployment to the station.
When asked how they handle fire victims since the station is not equipped with an ambulance service, the workers said their job is to tackle fire outbreaks.
Isheri station — new and rickety fire trucks, no ambulance
The outlook of the Isheri Fire and Emergency Service Station is far from that of a station that has commenced full operation.
On Sunday, July 14 when this writer visited the station at noon, the pedestrian gate of the station was found wide open but there was no worker on duty. The only person on the premises was sleeping in one of the two fire trucks inside the station.
For a relatively new “ultra-modern fire service station” inaugurated 18 months ago, one would expect it to be equipped with new fire trucks for effective service delivery but that’s not the case.
Like the facility in Ifo, the Isheri station has two fire trucks, one of which is old and rickety. There’s no ambulance or any rescue vehicle on the premises.
Speaking to Pulse about the facility, an OPIC estate resident said the functionality of the station cannot be judged yet because there have been no fire incidents in the area since the station was commissioned.
He said, “There has been no fire incident that would warrant the station to be called to action so far, I think even now we will have to check it more because just today I was asking myself how ready are they to act. Has there been any sort of simulated activity for emergency response from them?
He admitted he does not know if an ambulance is required for a fire station but believes having one will be good for the station.
“I don’t have the checklist of what a fire station should have but ancillary supports like ambulances will be good to have but I don’t think they have,” he said.
Mowe station — 2 ambulances, no fire truck
Despite its new look, the Mowe Fire Service Station is a ridiculous caricature of what a firefighting facility should be.
An official of the station who spoke to Pulse Nigeria on condition of anonymity said the station had commenced operation even before its inauguration in 2023, despite having no fire truck, the main equipment that qualifies it to be a fire service station.
According to him, the station relies on the fire trucks at Isheri to operate whenever there’s a fire outbreak in the Ogun axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
“Sincerely speaking, this place is functioning. Whenever there is an emergency, the station at Isheri would come in less than five minutes, and we join them. About three weeks ago, a diesel tanker capsized. I saw it, called my colleagues and in less than 10 minutes we were there. Even before they arrived, the RCCG fire service was on the ground and immediately we arrived, they decided to leave the scene and we took charge of the situation,” the official said.
He further revealed that the fire truck meant for the station has been relocated to the cargo airport under construction in Remo.
“When this place was commissioned, there was a fire engine. It was when there was another development going on in Remo axis, at the agro cargo airport, that the fire engine was moved there for landing and taking off of aircraft,” he said.
Despite his initial claim that the station has commenced operation, the official said the Mowe Fire Service Station would be equipped with another fire truck when new workers are deployed to the station.
“We still have a fire engine at the headquarters in Abeokuta. As soon as the recruits are done with their training, by God’s grace, we will have our fire engine and we are good to go,” he said.
However, what the Mowe station lacks in fire trucks is compensated for in two available ambulances, one of which was donated by the BUA foundation.
Recently, the state commissioner for Special Duties and Government Affairs, Olufunmilayo Efuwape, confirmed to Pulse that firefighters to be deployed to the Agbara fire station are undergoing training.
Even though the Dapo Abiodun administration is preparing to deploy firefighters to the new fire service stations, it is clear that, so far, the stations are ill-equipped and are not designed to function and deliver emergency services properly.