Lagos — The first national Fire Conference to address fire disaster management in the country has been scheduled for October. The conference is being organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, which is responsible for fire matters, in collaboration with the Fire Disaster Prevention and Safety Awareness Association of Nigeria (FDPSAAN).

Chairman of the House Committee on Interior, Jerry Manwe, said in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday that the conference would seek to bring about a major transformation in the fire sector in the country.

"The conference will help to appraise the existing level of fire safety compliance and proffer solutions to avert problems through various interactive/experts' contributions," he said.

Manwe noted that the challenge of preventing or managing fire disasters in the country was everybody's business since the nation had been adversely affected by various incidents of fire outbreaks.

"The conference will also open the window of opportunities for partnership by stakeholders to save the nation from the devastating effect of incessant fire outbreaks which have severe consequences on the environment, people, investment, growth and development," he said.

Manwe said information gathered from the conference would be made available to government at all levels to facilitate the development of sustainable, result-oriented and practicable solutions to problems of fire disasters.