Richard Coates with Fire Officers and donated equipment

Fire Officers on parade.

April 2007: Angus Fire has donated some fire hose and fire fighting foam to the Nigerian Fire Service as part of a Fire Aid package to enhance the operational capability of the fire service in Lagos. Fire engines and other important support equipment were also part of the much-needed aid package.

Long Tradition

"We have been donating to Fire Aid packages in Africa since 2001," said Chris Payne, Angus Fire Sales Manager for Nigeria. "This is our tenth Fire Aid project and it is notable for its scale, speed of implementation and the immediacy of its effect. Previously, the Lagos Fire Service only had eight fire engines to protect 17 million people and each fire engine was more than fifteen years old. The Lagos Fire Service's capacity to deal effectively with serious fire and rescue incidents has been signigicantly enhanced as a result of this donation."

Project Co-Ordinator

The project was organised by Richard Coates, an independent Fire Consultant and former Group Advisor to BP, who commented "I'd like to thank Angus Fire and its local agents for their generous support. Angus Fire has made a real difference in communities previously without fire protection resouces. The effect that even a few drums of new foam have on fire fighters who for years have had nothing is incredible to witness."

Public Display

The new products werer officially presented to the State Governor of Lagos, during a public ceremony held at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Lagos Island. The event was attended by several thousand people and featured on national television. It featured a live display in which Angus Fire Duraline fire hose was carried on a selection of the 60-strong fleet of Green Goddess fire engines recently purchased by the Nigerian Fire Service from the UK Government.

Training Programme

The products donated by Angus Fire were also used to train 30 specially selected Fire Offiicers over ten days at the Lagos Fire Service training centre. Lending his support and technical expertise was Ugochukukwu Ezeudo from John Holt NG Plc, the Angus Fire distributor in Nigeria.