Stakeholders Harp on Synergy for Effective Emergency Response

Stakeholders in disaster and emergency management have underscored the importance of teamwork for effective and efficient emergency response.

They expressed their views in separate interviews with newsmen at the training for first responders in Lagos.

The training is organised by the Lagos State Command and Control Centre in conjunction with Leapsoft Ltd.

The theme of the training is: “Standardising Emergency Response: Training First Responders on Best Practices for Efficiency and Impact.”

Speaking at the event, Mr Sesan Ogundeko, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, said the training was geared toward fostering synergy among first emergency responders in the state.

Ogundeko urged the participants to apply themselves to the training to justify the huge investment the governor was making in ensuring the protection of lives and property of Lagos residents.

Mr Femi Giwa, the General Manager, Lagos Command and Control Centre, said the capacity building session marked a significant epoch in the Lagos State emergency architecture.

Giwa noted that the centre had been upgraded by the Governor to the status of an agency under the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations.

“We are building the capacity of first responders to be able to handle diverse emergencies in the state,” Giwa said.

He stressed that the programme marked a milestone in the training of first responders in the state.

He said that the training will be a platform to build their response capacity on very serious issues that border on command and control coordination.

According to him, the training will also provide them the capacity to understand the response plan of the state.

He noted that the training will also build their capacity to make very quick decisions when they are faced with emergency situations.

Giwa stressed that the training would enable them adopt a Standard Operating Practice which is in tandem with international best practices.

He noted that the Centre and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) would continue to work together to enhance emergency response.

He described the training as a fertile ground for the first responders to build their capacity to understand what coordination was all about.

“This will make them to learn how to work as a team in line with the THEMES Plus Agenda of the government,” he said.

In his remark, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary LASEMA, said the governor had built the capacity of the first responders to manage the golden hour in an emergency situation.

Oke-Osanyintolu described the golden hour as the hour between life and death when any form of emergency or disaster occured.

He said that when the first responders were not managing emergencies, they would be on the ground learning, strategising and building their capacity before any emergency occured.

“I appeal to the participants to ensure that they work together as a team.

“Team management is the key way to be efficient and effective in the management of emergencies in the state,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

Mr Abiodun Adeoye, the Managing Director of Leapsoft, Technical partners with Lagos State Government on Command and Control Centre, said the training was to equip participants on international best practice.

Adeoye described emergency response in Lagos State as a coordinated process involving team work.

“We are very proud to be partnering with Lagos State on this project,” Adeoye said.