- The campaign took place at two key locations: the Bwari Area Council Secretariat and the palace of Esu Sa-Bwaya of Bwari (the chief of Bwari), Ibrahim Yaro
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has successfully decreased its emergency response time from five to three minutes, aiming to minimize casualties and protect lives and assets.
Florence Wenegieme, FEMA’s Director of Forecasting, Response, and Mitigation, shared this achievement during an awareness campaign held to mark the 2023 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Abuja on Tuesday.
The campaign took place at two key locations: the Bwari Area Council Secretariat and the palace of Esu Sa-Bwaya of Bwari (the chief of Bwari), Ibrahim Yaro.
The sensitisation, with the theme, “Fighting Inequality for a Resilient Future for All,” began on October 4 across the six area councils of the FCT.
Ms Wenegieme explained that the three-minute response time became feasible after training community structures to serve as first responders to emergencies in their various communities.
She identified the community structures as local divers, emergency vanguards, disaster marshals, town criers, volunteers, and other structures like youth and women groups.
She said that the community structures have been adequately trained in emergency response through drills and simulations to equip them with the needed knowledge and skills.
The director added that FEMA had equally procured power bikes for the agency officials to navigate the Abuja traffic and reach the emergency scene within three minutes.
According to her, emergency management is multisectoral and everyone’s business, including school-going-age children.
“Community members are usually the first respondents to an emergency because it happens within their community.
“They have been adequately trained to know exactly what to do during emergencies and rescue operations before FEMA officials arrive.
“This quick response will ensure that more lives and properties are saved,” she added.
Ms Wenegieme explained that the awareness campaign was to ensure that residents identify disaster risks in their respective communities and know how to prevent and mitigate disasters to reduce their impact.
She added that sensitising community members was critical to ensuring that no one was left behind during emergencies.
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