GNFS identifies serious safety issues at Korle Bu
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has identified serious safety issues that need to be addressed at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
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Some of the issues relate to emergency evacuations, safety of occupancy, wiring and good house-keeping practices.
The Chief Fire Officer, Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, who made this known in Accra yesterday, bemoaned the fact that some of the structures, particularly the wiring systems at the hospital, since its establishment 93 years ago had not been replaced.
That, he said, posed potential fire hazard at the hospital.
He was speaking during a visit to the hospital to inspect three offices at the Pharmacy Department which were gutted by fire last Monday.
He was accompanied by the Accra Regional Commander of the GNFS, ACFO Samuel Nana Brenya, the Regional Operational Officer, DO1 Veronica Konney, and other officials of the GNFS.
Wiring systems
Dr Gaisie urged the management of the hospital to improve on its safety measures, saying that “while they think about security, they should think about safety”.
He stressed the need for the management to ensure the training of fire wardens at the various wards and other sensitive areas.
That way, he said, the fire wardens would be able to assist in putting the fire out pending the arrival of the emergency team.
“Hospital fires are difficult to be dealt with because they have a component of rescue, evacuation, firefighting and extrication,” he added.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of KBTH, Dr Gilbert Buckle, commended the fire station at the hospital for their timely arrival on the scene.
He assured the GNFS that the authorities would earmark high risk areas like the laboratories, pharmacies and some wards based on the structures that they were comprised of to prevent another fire outbreak.
