Fires must not be allowed to cause more havoc in 2015

Coming events, they say, cast their shadows.  But for now, we reject calamities in 2015 and wish for ourselves only the best, including economic renewal and prosperity.

Thanks to the vigilance of the security agencies, especially the police, the crime level was contained during the Christmas festivities.

However, we may have to contend with disasters in 2015, as Accra alone has already recorded three devastating fire outbreaks.

The first occurred at the Dome Market where some traders lost their wares. 

Then last Friday, fire gutted the residence of a couple at Kuku Hill, Osu, killing two of their children.

The following day, the retail giant, Melcom, suffered a serious economic setback when its electronic assembly plant was destroyed by fire. Items destroyed, worth millions of cedis, included television sets and other electronic appliances.

our worry is about our capacity to deal with disasters in the country. 

The government has been doing its best to retool the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to respond promptly to distress calls from fire victims, except that apart from that support, there is the need for auxiliary support, such as functional water hydrants, to make the fight against fire disasters more efficient.

We say this because in most cases, the firefighters have responded to distress calls with fire engines without water. On occasions when the water in the fire engines runs out, fire personnel are not able to replenish the tanks because the hydrants are not working.

The Chief Fire Officer, Dr Albert Brown-Gaisie, is on record to have said that the GNFS would launch full-blown investigations into the circumstances that led to the destruction of the Melcom warehouse.

We hope that this time around, the GNFS will tell the whole world the outcome of their investigations to help those concerned as well as the public to take the necessary steps to avoid a recurrence.

Our beef has been that more often than not the public does not get to hear about the outcome of investigations into disasters such as what happened at Melcom.

Sometimes, it is difficult to control these disasters, but when we are told of the causes of the fire outbreaks, then people can take precautionary measures to safeguard their lives and properties.

After all, the Twi adage says, “Wo hu se egya ato wo yonko abodwese mu a, na w’asa nsuo asi wo dee ho,” to wit, you protect yourself when danger looms.

The Daily Graphic thinks that having come out of 2014, a year considered as one of the most difficult in recent times, we should not inflict further pain on the nation through avoidable actions.

It is against this background that we call on all property owners to adhere strictly to fire safety standards in order to protect lives and property.

The Daily Graphic also appeals to the GNFS to stop the rhetoric and bring to book all those who have erected physical structures without regard to statutory fire safety standards but are let off the hook.

It should not just bark but bite as well because the law clothes the service with powers to punish the deviants.

Be that as it may, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the two children, the traders at Dome and the management and staff of Melcom.