FEMA: We’ve reduced emergency response time to three minutes in FCT

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it has improved its emergency response time from five to three minutes.

Florence Wenegieme, FEMA’s director of forecasting, response and mitigation, spoke on Tuesday during a sensitisation campaign to commemorate the 2023 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Bwari area council.

Wenegieme said the improvement in the response time would reduce casualties and save lives and properties.

The FEMA director said the three-minute response time became feasible after the training of community structures to serve as first responders to emergencies in their various localities.

She said the community structures are local divers, emergency vanguards, disaster marshals, town criers, and volunteers, among others

Wenegieme added that FEMA has procured power bikes for the agency officials to navigate the Abuja traffic and reach the emergency scenes within three minutes.

“Community members are usually the first respondents to an emergency because it happens within their community,” NAN quotes her as saying. 

“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.”

Wenegieme said 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.