Prank calls to Fire Service are dangerous -Fire Officer
Children make over 400,000 prank calls to the Fire Service every week.
This is dangerous because anytime such calls are made, other calls to report genuine fire cases which need immediate attention are blocked.
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The Head of the Public Relations Unit at the Ghana National Fire Service, Mr Ellis Robinson Okoe, therefore asked children not to make such calls and appealed to adults to ensure this.
He said out of every five people involved in fire explosions, two were children.
He advised children to stay away from gas cylinders.
Mr Okoe noted the difficulty in ensuring this since children lived in homes where there were cylinders, but insisted that children should be advised not to go near cylinders, especially with naked flames.
He cited a recent gas explosion which claimed the lives of three children, saying that could have been prevented.
The fire officer said children could be adventurous and played with unsafe gadgets such as lighters, electric sockets, candles and switches which could be harmful and so parents should ensure these gadgets are out of the reach of children.
Fire safety tips from Ghana National Fire Service:
1. Do not play with lighters and naked flames.
2. Do not play with source of heat such as electric sockets and switches.
3. Do not keep flammable liquids such as petrol, diesel fuels and kerosene in the house.
4. Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children.
5. Cylinders must be put outside of the house and not close to stoves.