Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Tuesday inaugurated a Rapid Response Firefighting vehicle for the state’s command of the Federal Fire Service.

The governor, who thanked the director general of FFS for donating the truck to the command, promised to support it in addressing challenges militating against effective firefighting in the state.

Mr Mutfwang added that with the gesture, FFS has keyed into his vision aimed at making the state’s fire service department one of the best in the country.

“This is indeed a great gesture that signals the direction of this administration to move this state forward. We thank DG for the gesture and for considering Plateau to be among the beneficiaries of this beautiful initiative. This gesture has spurred us to critically look into the area of firefighting in the state. We are raising the standard and we will not go below it. We will upgrade the state fire service department in the areas of funding, training and equipment,” he said.

Earlier, the acting controller of FFS in the state, Tanfa Bonkat, said that only 15 states in the country were given the vehicle.

He explained that the firefighting truck has modern facilities, including a 500-litre water tank and a 10-litre tank capacity for chemicals.

Mr Bonkat, who further explained that the truck could navigate through difficult terrain, said that it would be stationed in strategic locations with a high risk of a fire outbreak.

The controller, however, called on the governor to support the command with logistics, particularly utility vehicles and water tankers, to enable prompt responses to distress calls.

(NAN)