TO improve safety of flight operations at the country’s airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has commissioned 10 brand new, high capacity firefighting vehicles.
The Lion Volkan 6×6 Brand, Major Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicles (MFFV), which carries 14,000 litres of water, 1,700 litres of foam, 250kg powder capacity each and monitors the discharge rate of between 6,000 litres to 10,000 litres per minute would be deployed in the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, NnamdiAzikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
With an acceleration rate of 0-80km per hour in 30 seconds, each of the truck possesses limitless capacity to discharge while in motion, they are also equipped with under chassis nozzles to tackle running fuel fire.
While expressing the Authority’s profound appreciation to the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, through the Minister of Aviation, Senator HadiSirika, the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu noted that in fostering safety and security of flight operations, the Federal Government has focused on the tripod of rehabilitation/upgrade of infrastructure, capacity building, and training/manpower development.
Yadudu noted that comprehensive training programs have been arranged for the users of the vehicles and the mechanical department to ensure the vehicles are not only used as specified by the manufacturers but also maintained accordingly.
Equally, he also said that eight new water tankers for continuous agent applications, eleven ambulances, two brand new Response Commanders’ Vehicles, and Aircraft Removal and Recovery Equipment have also been procured and deployed to various airports.
Speaking at the unveiling of the fire trucks to the public, the minister of aviation had traced the development to what he called the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari government towards keeping the sector safe, secured and its transformation.
The minister used the opportunity to recall how for over 15 years before the administration of President Buhari no single fire vehicle was purchased to fight fire in the event of an emergency except the usual cannibalization of some trucks to fix others.
Sirika while emphasising the importance of fire trucks to safety at any airport recalled the sad crash of the Sosoliso aircraft carrying some students of Abuja based Loyola Jesuit College in Port-Harcourt that burst into flames killing the students onboard and other passengers due to lack of adequate fire cover at the airport at the period.
According to the minister “We all remember our children that left Abuja to Port Harcourt in the sosoliso crash, we couldn’t save those children because some of them even though the airplane landed but crashed they were still alive, we didn’t have adequate proper fire cover to save those lives and parents were seeing their children burning alive.”
Besides the arrival of the ten trucks, the minister disclosed that another contract had already been awarded to establish a fire truck rehabilitation, overhaul and maintenance center, which will begin to assemble in Nigeria for use in the country and for the market for West and Central Africa.
“So we are doing quite a lot and we are talking about safety and security of the sector. When we leave we pray those people coming to succeed us would do much, much better than we have done.”
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