The Tema Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has joined forces with the Electricity Company of Ghana to clamp down on illegal power connections within the jurisdictions.
The two bodies would embark on a house-to-house campaign to educate people and report illegal electrical wiring to the appropriate authorities to deal with the situation.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the GNFS Tema Regional Command Public Relations Officer, Divisional Officer Grade III, Ebenezer Yenzu, said they had identified poor wiring systems as a major contributor to the recent rise in fire outbreaks.
DO III Yenzu stressed that in most of the slum communities, the structures were built with wood, which was already volatile to fire, therefore, if the wiring system was not done well, a slide surge in power could cause a fire outbreak, especially in this harmattan season.
He said the slums were recording high numbers of fire incidents so when they visited any house and saw any inappropriate connection, they would call on the ECG to intervene and deal with the problem.
He said although the investigation of the recent fire incident at Ashaiman, Middle East was not out yet, the electrical wiring at the scene was a bad one and might have contributed to it.
He also noted that Electricity meters were designed to carry specific power loads but “we have witnessed cases where the meters are overloaded, creating excessive power heating which led to some of the fires.”
DO III Yenzu advised shop owners to desist from using bare wires in plugs, stressing that there is always a tripping of current because of a lack of direct access to the socket.
