Government to come out with new law on bushfires

The government will soon come out with a new law to deal with bushfire offenders following the review of PNDCL 229 that dealt with bushfires.

Mr Kwaku Afram-Asiedu, Deputy Minister for the Interior, announced this when he opened a three-day conference for regional rural fire co-ordinators for the 10 regions at the National Sports College at Winneba.

The conference is being organised by the management of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).

He described the old anti-bushfire law as "a toothless bull that has virtually outlived its usefulness", hence the review to make the law more effective.

Mr Afram-Asiedu praised management of the GNFS for infusing modern ideas and technologies into the service and this showed in the operations of the service during fire outbreaks in Accra and Cape Coast recently.

'' It is our hope that this good sign of positive transformation in GNFS activities will be maintained and further improved upon to make the GNFS one of the best fire service organisations in the world.''

Mr Afram-Asiedu reminded district assemblies of the vital role they have to play in the enforcement of bushfire laws as well as the reduction of the out break of bushfires in their areas of jurisdiction.

Earlier, The National Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Eliss Adablanu, and Mr. Albert Brown Gaisie, Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Director responsible for research, monitoring and development, in separate speeches, said the GNFS would work harder to improve the quality of service the organisation had been rendering.