Kogi: NEMA begins assessment of emergency facilities in govt offices

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) at the weekend, began the assessment of emergency facilities provided in public and high valued buildings in Kogi State.The exercise started in Lokoja with the assessment of emergency provisions in the state secretariat complex by officials of NEMA, Red Cross and the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KOSEMA).The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the assessment will later be extended to other high valued and public buildings in the state.The officials assessed the adequacy and state of alarm systems, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, exit doors, provision for disabled in emergency situations and first aid box and facilities at the staff clinic.The exercise also featured the demonstration of emergency staff evacuation drill for workers.Commenting on the exercise, the Coordinator of Abuja Zonal office of NEMA, Mr Ishaya Chonoko said that the exercise was part of the agency's response to current wave of terrorism and disasters in different parts of the country.He said that the aim of the exercise was to educate occupants of such buildings in emergency evacuation procedures and to build a culture of emergency readiness in them.Chonoko said that the idea behind the exercise was to reduce the number of casualties in emergencies like fire, bomb scare and terrorism acts.He said that at end of the exercise, NEMA would help the state to prepare an emergency evacuation plan for the state secretariat.He said that the KOSEMA would thereafter extend the plan to cover other public and high valued buildings in other parts of the state. He said that the exercise would also enable NEMA to monitor the state of preparedness of other critical stakeholders in emergency response with the aim of enhancing their capacity in this direction.The Executive Secretary of KOSEMA, Mrs Alice Ogedengbe, commended NEMA for initiating the exercise, saying that public offices in the state would be encouraged to carry out the drill on regular basis.She said that the exercise would make workers to be more safety conscious and guide them on what to do during emergency situationswere being exposed to water, saying that this may lead to fire disaster if not corrected on time.
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