Mr Olatunde Obisesan, Public Relations Officer, Federal Fire Service, has advised property owners in the country to comply with the National Fire Safety Code.
Obisesan said this was necessary in order to save lives and property during fire outbreaks.
He gave the advice on Friday during an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
According to him, the service is always ready to fight fire outbreaks but that property owners and the general public also have role to play in reducing loss of lives and property during fire outbreaks.
“National Fire Safety Code contains what should be done by property owners before, during and after construction of property in order to quickly arrest spread of fire during fire outbreaks.
“It spells out what should be considered when planning commercial, residential or any other type of building so that fire outbreaks can quickly be brought under control if they happen.
“Property owners should always make enquiries about the code at the property development office in their various locations or the fire service station nearest to them,” he said.
Obisesan said officers of fire prevention unit of the agency had been going round to sensitise, inspect and re-inspect properties to make sure that property owners complied with the code.
He, however, said it did not have enough manpower to fully enforce compliance to the safety code in the country.
The spokesman also said negligence of some members of the public contributed to loss of lives and property during fire outbreaks.
“Some people rather concentrate on how to move their property instead of first putting a call across to the fire fighters, which results in loss of lives and property, most of the time.
“Bad roads and traffic congestion also hinder easy access to scene of incident, at times.
“ We urge motorists and the general public to always pave way for fire engines(trucks) whenever they blare siren,” he said.