Fire alert at schools
Many schools are now installing fire safety equipment and alarms on their premises to protect lives and property in case of a fire outbreak, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has disclosed.
Advertisement
The Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, DOIII Prince Billy Anaglate, who made this known in an interview, said personnel of the service were also engaged in educating students and teachers on fire safety.
DOIII Anaglate, however, said a few schools were still not abiding by the laws on fire precaution which required places such as schools, hospitals, hotels, etc to have fire safety certificates.
Schools flouting this regulation, he warned, risked being sent to court and their premises closed down until they regularised issues with the service.
“It is important that all schools have early detection and warning systems, as well as fire fighting equipment such as hose reels and fire extinguishers. They should also make sure security men and staff are given adequate training, so that in times of emergency they can assist in evacuating the students to safety,” he added.
Meanwhile, during visits to some schools in Suhum in the Eastern Region, the Junior Graphic realised that contrary to the GNFS claims, most of the schools did not have any fire safety equipment on their premises.
At the Okroase M/A Experimental JHS, the Headmaster, Mr Bernard Tetteh, said the school did not have fire extinguishers nor any other fire safety equipment.
However, he said it periodically checked the electrical installations to avoid any incident that could lead to a fire outbreak.
He said he would discuss ways of installing fire safety equipment in the school with the parent-teacher association (PTA) of the school.
The situation was no different at the SDA JHS in Suhum.
The Headmaster, Mr Sampson Owusu Agyirifo, said plans to provide fire safety gadgets were discussed at a recent board meeting of the school but no concrete decision was taken.
At the Elshaddai School, also in Suhum, no such equipment was spotted but the head of the school was not present to tell this reporter how the school intended to correct the situation.
