The Department of Fire Service in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has called for an amendment to the fire prevention and fighting law to provide for stringent enforcement and punishment for petrol stations owners who violate safety rules.
The service lamented that despite its routine sensitisation, fire inferno at petrol stations around the FCT has continued to increase.
The director and controller of the Service, Engr. Sani Saidu, who made this call at a press briefing in Abuja, lamented the weakness of the existing laws, saying it was not enough to curtail the level of negligence by operators, which has always been responsible for the disturbing fire incidents.
Saidu said while firemen have intensified their monitoring and supervision at the petrol stations, it has become necessary to ask for an amendment to the existing legislation.
According to him, the standard best practice of allowing petroleum products loaded by trucks that just arrived at its destination to cool down before discharging has always been flouted.
He said discharging the contents of the truck is usually best done in a conducive weather temperature, but owners and operators always disregard it.
Saidu stated that while it will be absolutely difficult to post firemen to all petrol stations for close monitoring, it would be important to have a law for punishing those who violate the rules.
