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A participant being assisted by one of the officers to extinguish a fire
A participant being assisted by one of the officers to extinguish a fire

Filling station operators undergo fire safety training

Some owners and staff of filling stations in the Ga Central and Ga South municipalities in the Greater Accra Region have received training on fire safety measures on their premises. The exercise was organised by the Weija office of the Ghana Fire Service. The participants from 12 filling stations were trained on ways of preventing fire and how to manage it effectively when it occurs.

The filling stations that participated in the exercise included the Goil Filling Station, Petrosol, Shell, Total, Dukes, Mamba Gas Filling Station, Arnandale Gas Filling Station and the Hillside Gas Filling Station. 

The activities formed part of an ongoing programme the Ghana National Fire Service is conducting for homes and corporate institutions to sensitise them to fire prevention.

Participants were trained to identify the causes of fire, its composition and classification, how to extinguish fire, as well as safety tips on controlling fire involving petrol and gas.

Permits 

In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the programme, the acting Weija Municipal Fire Commander, Divisional Officer III (DO III), Mr Isaac Saah, recommended that filling stations must not be established in residential areas.

While admitting that quite a number of the stations had been set up within residential areas, he explained that once his outfit did not give approval for the acquisition of land, it could only advise in such matters.

He, however, indicated that the service would liaise with the appropriate authorities to deal with the proliferation of filling stations in the city.

“Filling station owners should also avoid using their stations as parking lots because it is very dangerous,” he cautioned.

Mr Saah also advised the public not to build in flood-prone areas to avoid any catastrophe in future.

He said a team would be put in place to monitor and pay constant visits to the filling stations to ensure that they complied fully with the knowlege gained.

Safety tips

An Assistant Divisional Officer I (ADO I), fom the Greater Accra Regional fire office, Mr Addo Adams, urged management of  filling stations to ensure that they do not only have good drainage systems, but also wash away fuel residue that settles on the floors at their stations regularly.

“As owners of fuel stations, you must also ensure that there are no leakages from the pumping systems as that can easily lead to fire at the slightest mistake,” he cautioned.

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