Niger State Fire Academy Screens Over 1500 For 150 Jobs Opening

By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna

Niger State Government has acquired sixteen modern fire fighting engines to fight conflagrations when and where they occur in parts of the state.

The Fire Fighting gears worth over N590 million are to be deployed to the state capital majorly and the other urban centres of the state. Secretary to the State Government, (SSG)  Isa Ladan has disclosed.

Two of Fire Engines are specially built for rapid response exigencies and are fitted with high power engines capacities to pump water hydrants from 100 to 200 metres distance for high density inferno incidences.

Meanwhile the state Fire Academy located in Tunga low-cost in Minna has conducted screening for the recruitment of personell for the state Fire Fighting Service.

Secretary to the State Government, Isa Ladan had earlier last month disclosed that the state government would recruit 150 additional hands to man fire fighting offices in the state.

The screening exercise concluded last Wednesday at the state Fire Academy saw the influx of over 2000 unemployed youths from across the state as job seekers.

The state chief scribe had said approval was given for the recruitment of 150 persons as fire fighters for the state Fire Service Department.

It would be recalled that the SSG Ladan explained that 14 of the new Fire engines were purchased at the cost of half a billion naira while the two special rapid response fire fighting engines cost =N=90 million.

This is the first time in the history of the state that an administration would acquire such a large number of fire fighting equipments for the state.

Prior to the present administration in the state, the state Fire Service Department had only three old serviceable Fire Fighting engines in the state capital.

Though fire outbreaks cases are almost frequent in parts of the state especially in the state capital, the few available Fire Fighting engines have before now been overwhelmed by such cases of conflagrations even as citizens have always bemoaned the poor state of the Fire Service Department of the state.

 Secretary to the State Government said the present administration in the state had in response to the yearnings from citizens for better service delivery by the critical fire service department had spent well over half a billion naira to purchase the equipment with their accessories to put the department in it’s right perspectives to discharge it’s functions of saving lives and properties from infernos and related disasters.

 He said those to be recruited as Fire Fighters would be trained on the rudiments of the work in line with standard best practices at the state Fire Fighting Academy located in Tunga Low Cost area.

The state government had earlier renovated the dilapidated fire service station along Bosso road and fitted it with equipment to track places of fire incidences when they occur.

 “We have already swung into action. The new and the other old Fire engines would be put to use” the SSG had assured.