Help prevent fire outbreaks : GNFS appeals
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has made a passionate appeal to the general public to adhere to fire safety measures during the harmattan season.
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Such adherence, the GNFS said, would help to reduce the spate of fire outbreaks to the barest minimum.
The acting Head of Public Relations of GNFS, Divisional Officer Grade II, Mr Timothy Osafo-Affum, who made the appeal at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the service needed civil society cooperation to help reduce fire outbreaks during the harmattan season.
Mr Osafo-Affum expressed concern that despite all the measures the service had taken, including public education and the training of fire volunteers, it was still recording preventable fire outbreaks.
Fires
The press conference was organised following the recent fire outbreaks in parts of the country.
In the last two weeks, fire outbreaks had occurred in Accra, Kumasi and Tuobodom in the Techiman North District.
In the first week of the year, precisely on January 6, 2016, fire razed down more than 300 stores at the Kumasi Cental Market .
Then on January 7, fire destroyed about 40 wooden structures at the Tutulane, near the Ashaiman market, while another outbreak occurred in a section of the Achimota Forest in Accra, on January 8, 2016, destroying that portion of the national asset.
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On January 9, 2016, another fire in Kumasi destroyed wooden structures providing shelter for more than 200 head porters, also known as kayayei, near the Aboabo Bridge at Afful Nkwanta.
In the case of Tuobodom,on January 10, 2016, fire razed through portions of the Tuobodom Senior High School in the Techiman North District, destroying property running into hundreds of Ghana cedis.
In the last days of 2015, precisely on December 28, 2015, two children were burnt to death in a kiosk, where they were sleeping when fire broke out at the Central Business District of Takoradi.
Statistics
Statistics provided by the GNFS showed that in 2013 there were 954 and 727 fire cases in January and February respectively, 528 and 485 in 2014 and 948 and 537 in 2015, within the same months.
According to Mr Osafo-Affum, from January 1 to 10, 2016, a total of 51 fire cases have been recorded in the Greater Accra Region.
He deplored the situation, describing it as worrying because in spite of the intensified fire safety campaign the GNFS carried out before the advent of the harmattan season, alarming fires were being recorded across the country.
Mr Osafo-Affum said a task force to monitor activities in market places as well as 1,000 fire volunteers had been trained to educate people on fire safety.
He,however, pointed out that ensuring fire safety was a shared responsibility and, therefore, asked the public to cooperate with the GNFS in that regard.
Way forward
Mr Osafo-Affum said the service was liaising with the various district assemblies to ensure that there were access routes in the markets.
Additionally, the GNFS is liaising with qualified electrical engineers to carry out checks at the various markets to stop illegal connections, he said.
He gave the assurance that the service would strictly enforce laws on fire and prosecute offenders.
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