Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union in Collaboration with Flame Fix Conducts Training on Fire Prevention Strategy and Business Skills
E Geedahgar Garsuah Sr 
MONROVIA, LIBERIA: Under the newly inducted leadership of the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union, in collaboration with the Flame Fix Foundation, several retailers of petroleum products in Paynesville City received certificates in fire prevention methods and business training over the weekend.
The daylong intensive workshop conducted under the auspices of Flame Fix Foundation, a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) on fire prevention education and awareness, held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the Headquarters of the Liberia Credit Union situated in the commercial district of Redlight, brought together nearly 150 petroleum retailers.
Flame Fix Foundation's effort in capacitating retailers of petroleum products with practical knowledge on the handling of flammable commodities and the prevention of fire outbreaks stems from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union.
The one-year partnership agreement binds both institutions to collaborate in providing periodic hands-on training for members of the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union in the management of petroleum commodities and fire prevention strategy.
During the signing ceremony, signed on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Flame Fix Foundation headquarters situated in Jacob Town Rehab Community, Mr. Simeon Morris, Flame Fix Foundation Deputy Executive Director on behalf of founder and Executive Director Johnsonetta G. Metu presented Flame Fix Foundation while the newly inducted Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union, Mr. Prince Tamba Nyumah represented his organization.
The MoU validates the cooperation between both institutions in the promotion of fire prevention and safety training for the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union. The partnership is also geared towards empowering members of the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union with practical knowledge and skills to prevent and respond to incidents of fire outbreaks.
Under the one year agreement, Flame Fix Foundation is charged with the responsibility to lead fire prevention and management training sessions, provide facilitators, educational materials, and issue participation certificates, while the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union will play role of mobilizing participants, provide training venues, and support logistics, and coordination for smooth implementation.
The Thursday, November 13, 2025 signing ceremony paved the way for the Saturday, November 15, 2025 daylong training session that saw several petroleum retailers awarded certificates in basic knowledge on the handling of petroleum products, and as well as various fire prevention mechanisms.
The Saturday training session is several of many anticipated workshops that will target the Union members in the Bushrod Island, Brewerville, and Robertsfield Highway areas.
Speaking to journalists at the climax of the training session, the Managing Director, Prince T. Nyumah, pointed out that the daylong training event is intended to empower the members with the requisite knowledge to transform what he termed as the “deplorable state” of the petroleum sector.
“Knowledge is power, and that is the reason why we organized this training workshop to see how our members, if not all, but the majority of our members, can get the requisite knowledge as to how they go on making business. We want them to be knowledgeable because the sector is deplorable, we cannot keep doing business the same way,” Manager Director Nyumah said.
He used the occasion of the training session to caution members against engaging in violence and encourage them to adhere to all compliance regulations.
Nyumah also craved the support of the Government of Liberia through the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) for more fire prevention training. He also called on the National Road Fund to provide sources to the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union to decentralize the capacity-building for petro retailers across the country.
For his part, Mr. Zayzay R. Flomo, Head of Program at Flame Fix Foundation, lauded participants on the grounds that such a massive turnout was unprecedented. He heralded the massive contribution of Flame Fix in fire prevention and awareness initiatives.
Echoing Flame Fix Foundation's motto: “We stop fire before it starts,” Flomo warns the public to see the increase in fire outbreaks across Monrovia as a major concern to seek knowledge on prevention mechanisms, which include the use of fire extinguishers.
Flomo urged participants to serve as fire prevention ambassadors in their various communities by sharing the knowledge gained during the daylong workshop.
Speaking on behalf of female participants, Madam Eliza Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Miami Gas Station, lavished praises on the leadership of the Liberia Petroleum Retailer Union for its farsightedness.
Madam Brown expressed joy that she will translate the knowledge gained in a positive way that will educate her neighbors and employees on fire prevention techniques.
Participants James Dalamu, representing his male partakers, thanked the leadership for endeavoring to educate its members on fire prevention and business skills.
Dalamu, who described the one-day training session as unprecedented in the Union’s three-decade-long history, lauded Managing Director Prince T. Nyumah for what he termed as visionary leadership aimed at adding dignity to a sector that has long been overlooked by national stakeholders.
For some time now, the proliferation of fire outbreaks in Montserrado and its environs has been a constant topic of national debate, with recent statistics confirming that a series of devastating fires across the county from July to November have affected over 150 citizens, with faulty electrical wiring cited as the leading cause.
According to statistics released by the LNFS, the capital and its environs experienced 16 fire outbreaks in July, affecting 103 people.
The incidents continued with 21 people affected by a fire on August 19, followed by 12 outbreaks in October affecting 19 individuals, and 8 people affected in November.
LNFS Executive Director G. Warsuwah Barvoual pinpointed the “misuse of electrical appliances in homes” as the dominant factor behind the outbreaks.
He highlighted that as the Liberia Electricity Corporation works to stabilize the power supply, citizens must exercise greater caution
Beyond electrical faults, the Fire Service chief issued a stern warning to local gasoline vendors, identifying the common practice of storing fuel in residences as a major fire hazard.
