Focus on preventive measures to reduce bushfires – Prosper Bani

The Interior Minister, Mr. Proper Douglas Bani, has called for increased fire prevention and safety education to protect lives and property.

He said more energy should be put into the effort at helping everybody to do the right things to significantly bring down fire disasters.

This was contained in a speech read for him at the launch of the national bushfire prevention campaign in Kumasi.

The event was also used to unveil the Ashanti Regional “Home fire safety certification project”.

It was held under the theme “Protecting the environment and ensuring fire safety at homes”.

Mr. Bani highlighted the need to help particularly farmers to take preventive measures to reduce the annual devastating bushfires.

They should be assisted to have better understanding of the causes, effects and what to do to stop their investment from being ravaged by fire.

The Minister said the situation where food and cash crop farms, forest, wildlife and farmlands were lost annually should not continue.

“There is the need for a continuous education on prescribed methods of bush burning, especially in the savanna, to deal with the situation”, he added.

He also urged strict enforcement of the bushfire control and prevention law to discourage people from doing anything reckless.

He asked that offenders were punished to serve as deterrent and bring some level of sanity.

Dr. Albert Brown Gaisie, the Chief Fire Officer, announced that a total of 860 bushfires were recorded nationwide, last year.

He said they were determined to engage in vigorous anti-fire campaign to drastically reduce fire outbreaks.

He reminded the people to be careful in their handling of naked fire and electrical appliances and to heed safety advice.