By Juliet Mettle-Edmonds
The Ghana National Fire Service has raised concerns over the lack of escape routes and emergency exits within communities during fire outbreaks. The Greater Accra Regional Commander, ACFO1 Roberta Aggrey Ghanson, called on Ghanaians to prioritise their safety to ensure a safe and quick escape during emergencies.
At the launch of the Easter Fire Safety Campaign at the Regional Headquarters in Accra, ACFO1 Aggrey Ghanson, charged all to adhere to the basic principles of safety to ensure the safety of lives and properties.
During festive seasons, many people do not pay much attention to their safety. In line with their mandate to prevent and fight fire, the Greater Accra Regional Command of GNFS has launched its Easter Fire Safety Campaign.
The annual event draws the Safety Officers closer to the public and educate them on fire safety methods, especially during the festive seasons and beyond.
While encouraging all officers to continue to educate the public on how to minimize fires in the region, the Regional Safety Officer, DO I Evans Osei Wusu urged the public to avail themselves of the education and not to drive away the team when they visit their homes for the education.
The Regional Commander, ACFOI Roberta Aggrey Ghanson, said fire safety is a shared responsibility and should be a concern of all.
ACFO I Aggrey said, ‘GNFS is charged with the responsibility under Act 537 to prevent and manage undesired fires.
‘Even though a festive period like this appears to be very busy and stressful, our message to the general public is that ‘let it not be you.” Let it not be said of you that you are the course of the fires in our home’ Let us all get involved.
MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
‘The media let us partner the Ghana National Fire Service to create awareness of fire safety because fire safety is a shared responsibility. And should be the concern of every one of us’.
‘We believe that a collaborative effort today and the years to come will go a long way to help reduce the incidence of fire outbreaks and other accidents.’
GNFS OFFICERS
To my abled Districts, Municipals and Metro Safety Officers as well as Commanders of various stations, ‘I say ayekoo for the hard work done for embarking on intensive fire safety education, fire risk assessment, fire certification and training at workplaces, schools, shops, markets, lorry stations as well as other private and public places over the years’.
‘I entreat all to partake in the gospel of fire safety awareness, especially around the catchment areas to avoid loss of lives and destruction of property’.
‘We all have a responsibility of teaching the young, our peers, the elderly the basic principles of safety to help avoid the occurrences of this incidence’.
‘One other area which is also of great concern to the service is the education of maintaining good escape plans, and escape routes within our dwellings and surroundings in order to ensure safe and quick escape during emergencies’.
‘We wish to state that there is no second chance to live’, ‘it is therefore important to adhere to the basic principles which would help to ensure a safe life.
According to statistics from the Region, one hundred and twelve fires and one road traffic collision in January 2023. In February the region recorded one hundred and nineteen fires, three road traffic collision cases, three casualties, and one burnt to death case. And in March, more than eighty fires have been recorded.
The Easter Safety campaign will focus on house-to-house education, slums visitation at night, markets, as well as church visitation. The Safety Officers will also hold placards along the roads with various inscriptions on fire safety messages. The team will again organise a root match through some principal streets of Accra to send the message of safety across.
The Greater Accra Regional Command says, ‘Let it not be you, ‘let it not be said of you that you are the cause of the fires in our home—rather, see sometime, say something to prevent fire’.
Below is the video;
