LEKMA Fire Station intensifies education against fire outbreaks
The Ledzokuku Krorwor Municipal Assembly Fire Station in the Greater Accra region has intensified its fire education campaign as part of measures to curb fire outbreaks in the municipality.
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The fire outfit, as part of the initiative, urged individuals and households to own fire extinguishers and other safety equipment to control fire outbreaks.
The Municipal Fire Commander at the LEKMA Fire Station, Divisional Officer III (DOIII) Theophilus Dangbe, who spoke to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the fire prevention and education session in the area, called on the public to be cautious when using fire.
The session was organised by the LEKMA fire station in collaboration with the Church of Pentecost, Teshie Nungua Area.
The exercise
The exercise started on May 8, 2016 and will end on October 26, 2016. During this period, officials from the Fire Station are to visit one Church of Pentecost within the municipality each week to educate its members on fire safety and prevention.
“We are trying to be proactive by going to the premises and educating on the hazards and risks of fire, and on safety measures". DOIII Dangbe said.
Some members of the Church of Pentecost - D.K. Annan Temple listening attentively during the presentation. Picture: NII MARTEY M. BOTCHWAY
He indicated that it is necessary for households to own at least one fire extinguisher to manage any fire in the home prior to the arrival of professional firemen to save lives and property.
The Officer-in-Charge of Safety, Assistant Divisional Officer (ADOI) Kingsley Omane Baah said the Municipal Fire Service has adopted this approach of reaching out to educate residents to reduce fire outbreaks that occur as a result of ignorance and carelessness. According to him, the past approach of only putting out fires when they occur was not the best hence the need for more public education such as this.
“The idea is to equip the people with knowledge to be able to minimise fire to its barest minimum, and eliminate fires in some cases even before our men get to the scene,” ADOI Omane Baah added.
He further stated that most of the cases the outfit had recorded over time were domestic fires, which are usually caused by misuse of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in homes and at workplaces, and hence advised users to be cautious with its use. He said the Municipal Fire Directorate has been proactive enough to set up fire safety measures in the various markets within the Municipality where they have some officers monitoring from dawn to dusk.