No fewer than 700 residents of Lagos State across the 57 local government and local council development areas have been trained in disaster and emergency management.
The two-day training, which held at the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency Relief Camp in Igando, was to build the capacity of residents to handle disasters before the arrival of emergency agencies.
According to the General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Adeshina Tiamiyu, the high population density of the state made the training a necessity.
He explained that the volunteers, who applied through the Internet, were expected to improve their responses to disasters.
He said, “The trainees are about 700 people and are primarily those who responded to the call for volunteers when we put up the publicity on the Internet. They didn’t go through any selection process.
“The whole idea is to bring emergency management to the communities because they bear the brunt of emergencies and disasters. It is only wise, therefore, that a solid foundation be laid for emergency and disaster management at the community level.”
The state Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-governmental Relations, Mr. Seye Oladejo, said there had been improvements in the management of disasters and emergencies in the state due to the procurement of equipment by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration.
Aside LASEMA officials, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Lagos State Fire Service, the National Emergency Management Agency, and other stakeholders, including religious organisations, participated in the training.
The volunteers were given basic protective equipment such as safety boots, helmets and safety goggles.
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