Ghana Fire Service recorded 650,000 prank fire distress calls in 2023 - Chief Fire Officer

There were a total of 656,591 fake fire incident calls in 2023, the Ghana National Fire Service has said.

The Chief Fire Officer, Julius Aalebkure Kuunuor, said firefighters wasted fuel as a result of the prank calls.

This happened between January and November. 2023.Speaking during the fire service's 60th anniversary celebrations on Tuesday [Jan 2, 2024], Mr Kuunor said the prank distress calls put the firefighters' lives at risk.

"When we engage in prank calls, we put incident respondents at risk and waste fuel also," he stated.

He, therefore, urged the public to desist from such acts, adding that in 2024, the fire service "will not entertain such deviant behaviours."

Timely intervention

Mr Kuunuor revealed that fire outbreaks also reduced by 4.92 per cent. The total number of  fire incidents recorded between January and November 2023 were 5,256.

He attributed the reduction to the massive nationwide public fire safety education. 

"Through timely intervention of the service, property worth millions of Ghanaian cedis was salvaged," he said.

credit: GNA