Fire safety education yielding results?
Reports that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) recorded only 48 fire outbreaks between December 24 and 26, 2016 against 78 the same period in the previous year appear to me as a sign that the general public is taking fire safety tips and precautions seriously.
Advertisement
The home fire safety campaign
The GNFS last year launched its Home Fire Safety Campaign during which it was announced that between 2011 and 2015, several thousands of fires, majority of which were domestic, were recorded. These efforts and educational campaigns carried out by the GNFS to ensure a fire safety consciousness among the general public, much as is commendable, is also yielding results.
Fire outbreaks
Every year, many homes, industries (factories and warehouses) and other properties get gutted by fire. While in some cases essential properties are salvaged, in many others they are completely consumed by the fires. The Home Fire Safety Campaign initiated by the GNFS, which has the objective of driving home the need to adopt and put in place fire safety measures at home to ensure the prevention of such fires, is one that should be embraced by all while factoring in the need for homeowners comprehensive insurance.
If the 48 fire outbreaks were domestic leading to total ravaging of homes by fire, I wonder how many would have been left for occupancy, especially if there was no insurance covering them!
Human contribution to domestic fires
Every year, one major ceremony is certain - the crossovers and all the other ‘overs’ from December 31 to January 1. This short period is invariably marked by fireworks everywhere in Ghana and perhaps elsewhere on the globe with last weekend not being an exception. Fire crackers (though outlawed), bonfires from used motor vehicle tyres and other combustibles are used ‘to thank God’ for ushering us into the New Year. Pomp and circumstance characterise the atmosphere. The annual seasonal harmattan also appeared to be quite severe, and serve as a major catalyst.
Indeed in our excitement to show gratitude to God, there are often unfortunate incidences of fire outbreaks often giving us heartbreaks, both accidental and those induced by the activities of the season, majority of which are preventable.
Insurance as a back-up to safety precautions
Perhaps last year’s fire ‘heartbreak’ at Ashanti Mampong, which gutted a household and consumed an entire family of at least six persons, should serve as a reminder to most of us that anything could happen to anybody at any time regardless of the safety measures put in place.
Negligence, ignorance and carelessness
Sometime last year, I was driving to work and half way through the journey, I realised I had left my laptop at home. I needed this laptop for a business presentation that morning and so was compelled to go back for it. Naturally angry with myself after having endured the early morning traffic congestion, I made a U-turn back home. I opened my main door and noticed a thin dark smoke emanating from the kitchen; I was shaken. I entered the kitchen only to see the gas stove on with stew on it! Apparently in my haste to get to work, I forgot to turn it off. But for the laptop that sent me back home, only God knows what could have happened.
Burning of dry debris
The second one happened when I was on my ‘private domestic sanitation day’ some time in 2015. I noticed the intensity of the harmattan winds and decided to take advantage to burn some dried plantain leaves between my house and a neighbour’s. The flame from the match stick was immediately blown off by the winds without touching the dried leaves; then it dawned on me the potential dangers of burning the debris at that time. Had the debris lit and resulted in an inferno, neither my house nor my neighbour’s would have been spared. This only goes to confirm the statistics presented by the GNFS, as people lit indiscriminately, thereby causing infernos.
Some causes of domestic fires
From my personal experiences above therefore, I am now inclined to ascribe many domestic fires to include burning of dry debris, rubbish and other combustibles in and around our homes, factories and warehouses. Similarly, our own negligence can result in many fire outbreaks. Thus, various climatic conditions, either individually or collectively, may all affect the behaviour of these fires.
Notwithstanding many domestic fires resulting from bushfires, especially during the dry seasons, it is also very true that most of them are escalated by the harmattan winds. How we construct and maintain our homes in fire-prone and accessible areas is, therefore, the key factor in determining what damage could or could not occur. That notwithstanding, it is worth noting the fact that however well these safety measures are put in place, there is still the need for insurance protection.
The need for homeowners insurance
Homeowners, property owners and residents living in areas surrounded by bushes and combustibles are more at risk. Similarly, the way buildings / houses are wired without the engagement of accredited professionals can be deadly. In this regard, the routine education provided by the GNFS, the National Insurance Commission (NIC) and the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) on these infernos must be taken seriously.
Thus, property owners must first revalue their properties and their contents therein, and then take out an insurance policy with the cover that matches the value of the particular asset(s).
It is gratifying to know that the all non-life insurance companies in Ghana provide a comprehensive homeowners’ insurance at very little premiums and it’s about time all homeowners took advantage of this policy.
The Way Forward
The proactive approach by the GNFS to close down some fuel filling stations for failure to adhere to some standards, in my opinion, is a step in the right direction. This level of proactivity should, therefore, be adopted by both businesses and households to help minimise the high level of fire outbreaks.
From the GNFS statistics, one thing may be established – that some of the most bizarre fire outbreaks usually happen during the harmattan; hence individuals must not wait till then and for that matter, take steps to acquire or renew their homeowners insurance policies ahead of time in order to mitigate the effects of any mishap.
Property owners must prepare emergency kits and take the necessary steps to minimise the risk of possible fires. For instance, clearing of bushes, debris and other combustibles around such properties and acquiring / installing fire extinguishers at vantage points. Besides the need for an insurance policy to minimise financial losses arising from a burnt property, it is also imperative for property owners to prevent fire outbreaks.
It is needless to state that owning a house or its contents requires life time savings and hence the need to put in place all the safety measures, including insurance so we can continue ‘to live a life’ without fire ‘heartbreaks’!