The Ondo government has procured eight firefighting trucks to combat the incessant fire outbreaks destroying properties worth millions of naira. 

Richard Olatunde, the spokesman for Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, confirmed this in a statement. 

He said the state government procured the “state-of-the-art” firefighting equipment as part of its commitment to enhancing the fire service’s capabilities in handling emergencies.

The delivery of the fire trucks on Friday came five months after Peoples Gazette exposed the rot in the Ondo State Fire Service – with the firefighters lamenting the lack of trucks to attend to emergencies in the state. 

In its findings in February 2023, The Gazette observed the shortage of fire fighting trucks at the offices of the fire services across the state, even as staff in the fire department decried poor remuneration and pay. 

However, Mr Olatunde noted that the chairman of the state’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ade Adetimehin, received the fire trucks on behalf of the governor at the government house in Akure. 

He explained that each newly acquired modern firefighting truck has a two-row cabin with air conditioning, a WD615.69, 336HP, Euro II engine, and an HW19710 transmission with 10 forward gears and two reverse gears.

 “The trucks also feature an HF7 front axle with a capacity of 17,000kg, drum type, and an ST16 rear axle with 216,000kg, drum type. They are fitted with 315/80R22.5 tubeless tires, 11 in total, including a spare tire and a 400L fuel tank.

“Furthermore, the fire tankers possess impressive 10,000-liter water and 2,000-liter foam capacities, accompanied by state-of-the-art equipment to tackle fires effectively and efficiently,” Mr Olatunde added in the excerpt of his statement on Saturday. 

He, however, added that fire trucks would be deployed across the three senatorial districts of Ondo to ensure efficient coverage.