80 firefighters with new skills. PCPM is helping in yet another country
In fires in Nigeria, more than a thousand people have died in just the last 4 years. In road accidents, the figure is already in the tens of thousands. This country is developing very quickly and, like every state, needs efficient rescue services. PCPM experts in Nigeria, in cooperation with SZCZĘŚNIAK Special Vehicles, trained 80 firefighters.
Nigeria struggles with many problems in the area of rescue and fire services. As numerous Nigerian media outlets report, there is an insufficient number of fire units (which translates into an extremely high population-to-firefighter ratio), a shortage of equipment, low public awareness, and gaps in training.
Firefighters themselves describe, in interviews, working with outdated, poorly maintained, and often malfunctioning equipment, while at the same time lacking people capable of operating it. Characteristic of this is the method of firefighting: once water runs out, the truck has to return to the nearest station to refill its tank, which directly demonstrates the lack of a developed hydrant network. As for equipment, even when it is available, there were often no funds to provide proper training in its use, and Nigerian firefighters face very many challenges. That is why the Polish company, a fire truck manufacturer from Bielsko-Biała, supplies Nigerian firefighters with new, fully equipped trucks. PCPM instructors made sure that firefighters from Nigeria were able to operate both the vehicles themselves and the equipment mounted on them, so as to effectively protect the business sectors most exposed to fire risk.
The number of serious fires is growing in Nigeria’s largest states (the equivalent of Polish voivodeships), and reports of major fires appear in the media almost daily. In an international ranking, Nigeria placed 31st out of 183 countries in terms of the number of deaths caused by fires.
Road accidents
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) recorded 10,446 road accidents and 5,289 fatalities in 2025. In just the first three quarters of 2025 (January–September) alone, there were 7,715 accidents, in which 3,915 people died and 24,674 were injured. In 2024, the toll was similarly tragic, with a total of 5,421 fatalities reported. Fuel tanker fires were particularly notorious accidents. In 2024 alone, they accounted for 411 road deaths.
This last point is especially relevant in the context of the training — fires related to fuel transport are exactly the type of hazard that the heavy rescue and firefighting trucks for the oil and gas sector are designed to address.
Floods
Floods in Nigeria are also a serious, recurring natural hazard, listed alongside fires among the main disasters threatening public safety. The data is often estimated and certainly incomplete, but it too shows just how significant a threat floods pose in Nigeria. In 2024, more than 259 people died, and as many as 600,000 were forced to leave their homes due to flooding. In 2022, one of the most severe floods in decades occurred, claiming the lives of more than 600 people, with over 1.3 million requiring evacuation. In total, 3.2 million people were directly affected, and 82,000 homes were destroyed.
PCPM’s response
Polish firefighter-instructors once again demonstrated that the “Polish school of rescue” enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide — this time, the proof came from Nigeria. Around 80 firefighters from various departments of the Seplat company took part in the theoretical and practical classes led by PCPM. The program included, among other things, a discussion of the crucial water-foam system, and concluded with participants independently starting up the trucks and operating the control panels. There was no shortage of difficulties, however — the base had no hydrant installation, so the Polish instructors organized a temporary water connection themselves, filled the tanks, and demonstrated the full operation of the system to the trainees in practice, while ensuring the safety of the entire undertaking.
The course once again confirmed a truth well known in the firefighting community: the value of even the best-equipped truck depends above all on the skills of its crew and on how often the equipment is used. Most of these problems were successfully resolved on-site.
PCPM has been training rescue workers, but above all firefighters, in four countries for over 10 years. It has a wealth of experience and a track record of success, which has helped to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of people. Nigeria has just joined the list of countries where Polish instructors, together with PCPM, can pass on the most valuable thing they have – their knowledge.
