Lagos State government is structuring to better respond to emergencies and life threatening situations.

This follows heightening consciousness of the need to ensure that lives and properties no longer go down the drain in emergency situations where hi-tech equipment, skills, expertise, timely and better coordination of rescue operations can reduce the number of casualties, if not totally avert loss of lives.

The accident simulation on Sunday, April 29, on the Third Mainland Bridge, and the creation of ‘Safety Arena,’ speak to the efforts by Lagos, the state with Nigeria’s biggest economy, to reshape its emergency management system.

The ‘Safety Arena’ which is aimed at fostering understanding and building synergy on a sustainable basis among the various agencies involved in safety and emergency management in Lagos had since commenced operation.

Within the Safety Arena situated along the Lagos-Agege Motor Road, near Oshodi, are first responder agencies: they include the Lagos State Fire and Safety Service, Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASMBUS), the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Safety Commission, Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) Task Force on Environment and Special Offences, and the Nigerian Legion.

The idea, according to the Lagos State Government, is to ensure that these agencies operate from the same vicinity and are also able to effectively communicate and coordinate themselves before, during and after an emergency situation.

Asides incidences of building collapse, fire outbreaks, road accidents, boat mishaps, gas and petroleum tanker explosions which have claimed many lives over time and remain a threat, Lagos, noted for its hustle  and bustle, is susceptible to accidents.

This is understood, against the background of the state’s estimated 21 million population locked in a small landmass of 3,577 square kilometres. Worse still, a large chunk of the population lacks safety consciousness. This is evident in the fact that in many homes, offices and vehicles, basic fire-fighting gadgets (extinguishers) are absent. This limits early self-response capabilities.

Statistics recently released by the state ministry of special duties and inter-governmental relations, which supervises the activities of many of the safety agencies, show that in 2017, Lagos recorded a loss of 84 lives and N12.8 billion worth of properties to fire outbreaks, but however, saved properties estimated at N76.9 billion from the 980 fire incidents.

In 2016, an equally high number of casualties and other physical losses were recorded in the state, with a total of 988 fire incidents, 242 road crashes and properties worth N16.62 billion burnt. These are in addition to five gas explosions, a mudslide case and incidents of electrocution, according to figures obtained from the ministry of special duties.

To stakeholders, therefore, the creation of the safety hub is a positive development in a city that is always on the go, even as there have been cases of in-fighting and disagreement among first responder agencies at emergency scenes, resulting in avoidable loss of lives and properties.

“Like most mega city-states around the world, Lagos is grappling with the challenges of huge population. One of these challenges is the ability to provide security as well as effective safety and emergency management in order to prevent unnecessary loss of lives and property.

“By creating ‘The Safety Arena’, we are not only institutionalising inter-agency co-operation and collaboration but also moving our emergency response mechanism to a new level with a more robust approach to emergency rescue through improved coordination and faster response time,” said Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State governor, at the recent commissioning of the safety centre.

Bringing the safety agencies within the same complex, according to Ambode, will enable them plan their strategies and share experiences, as the focus in the long run is to completely eliminate inter-agency rivalry.

Israel Ajao, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and one time Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos command, shares the governor’s sentiment. “The Safety Arena would help to institutionalise inter-agency collaboration and build synergy for better response to emergencies,” said Ajao.

The accident simulation on the Third Mainland Bridge, which followed months after the safety area was established, speaks more to the determination of emergency responders in the state to attain to disasters when and if they occur.

Five vehicles, including a LAGBUS, were caused to be involved in a multiple crash which resulted in ‘loss of lives’, with a commercial bus plunged into the lagoon.

The ‘victims’ were rescued, the ‘dead’ taken into a waiting ambulance. A crane then deployed to pull out the commercial bus from the lagoon, as 20 boats, occupied by marine policemen and local divers coordinated the water operation.

Adeshina Tiamiyu, the general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), who supervised the simulation, said it had to be created to test the   preparedness of emergency workers.

“This exercise is a live simulation. You will recall that last year, there was an accident on this bridge in which one of the vehicles plunged into the lagoon, killing two of its occupants.  We knew the challenges we faced in retrieving the vehicle from the water. What we have done is to recreate a situation like that and what we can do when such happens.

“We have also done this to create a synergy among our sister agencies, deliver what we have practiced and test our response capacity and capability, including the use of hi-tech equipment recently procured by the state government.

“As responders, it is our responsibility to save Lagosians when an accident occurs, no matter where and how. I know there is a lot of panic out there, but this is just make-believe. No vehicle plunged into the lagoon,” said Adeshina, who encouraged residents of the state to always call the toll-free lines, 767 and 112 to alert his agency and other organisations of an emergency.

Deployed to the simulation operation were the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service, State Environmental Health and Monitoring Unit, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Waterway Authority, Rapid Response Squad, Marine Police, National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp and the Federal Road Safety Corps, most of which have operational bases within the Safety Arena at Oshodi.

Seye Oladejo, the commissioner for special duties and inter-governmental relations oversees the operations of the emergency agencies says the measures are being taken to make Lagos globally competitive in safety and emergency management as well as create security consciousness among the residents.