Upper West Fire Service sensitises public to fire safety
The Upper West Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Augustine Tony Gomez, has observed that human error is to blame for the many fire outbreaks in the region.
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ACFO Tony Gomez made the observation when he launched a fire-safety education campaign in Wa. The event was on the theme, "Ensuring Fire Safety for National Development".
The fire safety campaign was aimed at teaching the people about measures to keep them safe from fires, as well as steps they should follow to prevent fires. The campaign was heralded with a route march by fire service personnel through the principal streets of the municipality.
He condemned the spate of fire in the region in particular and the country as a whole and advised the public to be wary of the way they handled fires, saying, "It is a useful servant, but could be a cruel master."
Regional statistics
The Upper West Regional Chief Fire Officer disclosed that a total of 85 fire outbreaks were recorded in the region between January and April this year as compared to 74 last year. He said the fires this year damaged properties estimated at GHC1,000,000.
He noted that domestic fires topped the list with 38 fires, followed by commercial establishments with 19. He said there were 11 bush fires recorded in the region over the period as well as seven that were registered through road accidents.
"Majority of the domestic and commercial fires were either electrical or gas related," he said.
He noted that if people were more careful, incidences of fire outbreaks could be reduced to the barest minimum.
Reasons for fire outbreaks
ACFO Tony Gomez attributed the burning of markets to fires that were set for cooking which were not put out after use.
According to him, a number of reckless behaviours contributed to fires in market places. He cited traders who forgot to put off their cooking stoves at the end of the day and those who threw hot fragments of wood or coal from fires as some of the reckless behaviours.
He said smokers who threw butts of cigarettes carelessly about without quenching them could also contribute to outbreaks of fire.
He has, therefore, called for attitudinal change if the fight against fire outbreaks is to succeed. “Fire safety is a shared responsibility,” he said.
The regional fire commander commended the government for providing his outfit with five new Man Diesel Water Tenders.