N/R: Ghana National Fire Service alerts public on the need to adopt fire safety measures as harmattan season approaches

The Ghana National Fire Service has alerted the public on the need to adopt fire safety measures as the harmattan season approaches. Statistics of fire outbreaks from January to December 21, 2020 stood at 5,966 representing 4.9 percent as compared to 5,673 within the same period in 2019.

Due to this, the Ghana National Fire Service is cautioning Ghanaians to be fire alert as the harmattan season intensify in the country. The harmattan season is most often characterized with fire outbreaks in most parts of the country destroying peoples properties especially farmlands.

Speaking to Zaa News an Officer from the Rural Fire Department of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Tamale, Jatuat Paulina said the increase in fire outbreaks was as a result of many domestic activities, negligence and carelessness. She further disclosed that most of the domestic fire outbreaks the country has recorded in recent times are as a result of illegal electrical connection.

‘’While most electrical wires in the various homes are not properly connected, most are also faulty and worn out thus igniting at the least opportunity, most people do not pay attention to fire especially when they are cooking, and so the end setting their house on fire’’, she added.

She said fire does not fear or respect anyone but once it gets an opportunity to destroy lives and property, it does so, hence the need to adhere to all safety precautions to reduce or do away with fire in the homes, market places and offices.

Madam Paulina also implored the public to install fire extinguishers in their homes and work places to ensure rapid response to any potential fire outbreak.

She called on the public to be patient with the service saying, 90 per cent of firefighting is done with water and therefore it is not possible that they would go to a fire scene without water.

In Ghana, fire incidents have become a regular occurrence, with thousands of lives and millions of dollars lost every year. Hardly a day passes without news of a fire outbreak in some part of Ghana, causing fear and panic among the people.

By: Lilian D. Walter/zaanews.com/Ghana