The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has advised the public to swiftly respond to warnings from fire alarms to reduce human casualties associated with fire outbreaks.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Timothy Osafo Affum, Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, said this at the climax of the Service’s annual fire safety week celebration held in Accra, on Friday.
The event, marked with a simulation exercise, was organised in collaboration with the Villagio Aqua Apartment, to test the readiness of Fire Officers to fire outbreaks, as well as educate the public on their roles in reducing casualties.
Data from the GNFS indicate that a total of 6159 fire incidents were recorded in 2021.
Out of this, 159 were institutional fires while 1038 were commercial.
A total of 252 people died, while 1929 sustained varied degrees of injuries.
ACFO Affum explained that the pace at, which people responded to such warnings was very worrying and needed to be addressed.
“We realised that when the alarm started sounding, the workers were adamant. I didn’t see any worker out of the building and that is a deficiency we have observed, and we will engage management to tackle that issue,” he said.
ACFO urged facilities to have regular simulation exercises either under the GNFS’S supervision or the facility’s because it was mandatory.
He added that it would be best if such exercises were done under the supervision of Fire Service.
DO 1 Joseph Forson, Assistant Director of Operations, GNFS, said a fire incident could be easily controlled provided the safety protocols were adhered to and there was the availability of a riser and a landing valve at every floor of the building.
A fire riser is a pipe that is connected to a pressurised source of water, which supplies water to the sprinkler system in a building while a landing valve works as a manual stop valve that allows a fire officer to completely control a firefighting system.
Ms Agnes Mingle, Head of Collection and Resident Liaison at Villaggio Aqua Apartment, said the collaboration gave them the opportunity to test their fire safety equipment to prepare them for any emergency.
Mr Gilbert Danso, Facility and Maintenance Manager, Villaggio Aqua Apartment, said the facility conducted simulation exercise twice a year and that with regular maintenance of equipment they would be able to handle any fire incident.
