Fire Service closes down businesses

Tema, May 30, GNA - Officials of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) at Tema on Thursday closed down four industries and a hotel operating in the Tema Metropolis for not possessing fire certificates. The affected industries were the Ghana Printing and Packaging Limited, Cleaning Solutions, dealers in detergents; Diamond Cement Depot, and the West African Commodities and the Courtesy International Hotel at Tema Community 10.

The operation team, which comprised personnel from the GNFS, Ghana Police, the Bureau and National Investigations (BNI), City Guards, Environmental Protection Agency and National Disaster Management Organisation also arrested two Automobile Gas Installation operators, Mr Louis Agbey and Mr Daniel Anim and impounded their tools for operating illegally.

Mr Prince Billy Anaglatey, Tema Regional Fire Training Officer, who led the team, said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that all establishments complied with the Fire Service Certificate regulation. He said the industries have been given four days to regularize their documents on the possession of certificates, failure of which they would be prosecuted.

According to him, management of the industries have ignored persistent warnings to secure fire certificates authorizing their operation, whilst some of them have experienced fire outbreaks before. For the operators, he explained that the area where they were operating was in a curve and close to a welding shop, thus posing threat to lives and property as any ignition could cause fire outbreak. Mr Anaglatey explained that business entities were enjoined to comply with the Fire Service Legislative Instrument (LI 1724 of 2004) to possess fire certificates.

The LI stipulates that industries, health facilities, chop and drinking bars, stores among others, should be in compliance of the law by ensuring that they have general safety precautionary measures in place to protect lives and properties in the event of fire outbreak. Mr Anaglatey said before issuing certificates, firemen conducted inspection of the premises to satisfy themselves with the occupancy, exit points, warning detection systems, and installation of electrical gadgets.