Over GH¢60 million worth of properties were saved from fire ruins in June 2024 - GNFS

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has disclosed that over GH¢60 million worth of properties were saved from fire destruction in June 2024.

According to the Service, this achievement highlights its effective fire safety measures and rapid response capabilities.

In a statement, the GNFS said it recorded a 3% increase in fire incidents, primarily due to harsh weather conditions and widespread noncompliance with basic fire safety protocols.

It highlighted the major fire causes to include:

- Electrical faults from misuse of electricity and appliances;

- Gas leakages from improper use of LPG stoves and cylinders;

- Indiscriminate burning of refuse and bushes;

- Misuse of naked lights such as mosquito coils, candles, lighters, and matches; - Lightning and deliberate acts.

Regional fire statistics indicated that the Greater Accra Region reported the highest number of fires with 708 cases, followed by Ashanti with 661 cases.

However, the North East Region had the fewest with 17 cases in 2024 compared to lower fire cases recorded in the aforementioned regions in 2023.

Domestic fires led with 35.8% of incidents in June 2024, a slight decrease from 36.2% in 2023. Bushfires followed at 17%, down from 17.8% in 2023.

Industrial fires accounted for 0.3%, a reduction from 0.4% in 2023. Increased fire cases were noted in electrical installations, institutional settings, and refuse dumps.

There was a 3% increase in out-on-arrival fire cases, reflecting the positive impact of GNFS’s public fire safety campaigns and improved public ability to handle fires before GNFS arrival.

Other rescue operations, such as those involving wells, bee invasions, and metal/concrete slabs, decreased in June 2024, alongside a decline in related deaths and injuries.

According to the GNFS, road traffic collision incidents increased by 1% in June 2024, but associated deaths and injuries decreased, indicating improved response and safety awareness.

The Fire Service expressed its commitment to public safety:

- The GNFS is committed to intensifying public fire safety campaigns through traditional and social media, focusing on residential areas, lorry stations, market centres, and institutions.

- Fire safety audits and inspections will be intensified in public and private commercial premises to identify fire hazards and offer mitigation measures to minimize the risks associated with these fire hazards.

- More community Fire Volunteers will be trained and motivated to prevent and control bushfires through the adaptation of climate resilience strategies such as creating fire belts around farmlands and plantations, encouraging early or controlled burning, and promoting alternative livelihood empowerment programs such as snail and grass cutter raising, mushroom farming, keeping of bees, etc., in order to ease the pressure on the forests and natural vegetation. - Management will collaborate with the National Road Safety Authority and other relevant institutions via intensified road safety education to enhance respect for sirens of emergency vehicles and minimize and/or prevent road crashes with their attendant deaths and injuries.

- Management urges the public to adhere to the basic fire safety protocols being churned out by the Service to prevent incidents and protect lives, property, and the environment.

- GNFS remains dedicated to safeguarding lives through effective fire prevention, protection, and swift emergency response services.

KA/OGB

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