3000 volunteer squad formed to fight hamattan fire
About three thousand fire volunteer squads have been formed by
the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) throughout Ghana in readiness to
fight possible rampant fire outbreaks that are normally associated with the
hamattan season.
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The volunteer squads are to educate people in communities on proper methods of bush burning to prevent bush fires from escalating.
Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Mr Prince Billy Anaglate, told Graphiconline that to make the squad more effective, traditional authorities are being involved in the anti-fire campaign.
Communities are being educated on bush fire prevention and also serve as first line of defence in the fight against fire outbreak before the arrival of fire service personnel.
Mr Anaglate said human activities had largely contributed to bush fires among which he identified as clearing of land for farming, honey harvesting, palm wine tapping and cooking in farms.
“If we are to succeed in the fight against bush fires, the district assemblies have a big role to play,” he said.
He noted that majority of district assemblies were operating without bush fire prevention subcommittees which were to ensure the enactment and implementation of bush fire by-laws.
PNDC Law 229 of 1990 on the Control and Prevention of bush fire states among others that “Except otherwise provided under this law it is unlawful for any person to start a bushfire for any purpose whatsoever and that where any damage is caused by a fire set by an employee of an organisation he/she (the employee) shall be held responsible for the damage.”
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According to the law “any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of this law commits an offence and is liable to conviction before a public tribunal or court to a fine of not less than Ghc20 or more than Ghc100 or to imprisonment.”
Mr Anaglate said the punishments were not deterrent enough.
Story by Sebastian Syme