Let us collectively prevent disasters – Chief Fire Officer

Dr Albert Brown-Gaisie, the Chief Fire Officer, has urged all stakeholders, especially the Municipal and District Assemblies as well as residents in the Eastern Region, to play their various roles to collectively prevent disasters.

He said the charade of using resources to react only after disasters had occurred was not helping the nation, and that resources should rather be channeled into prevention than reaction.

Dr Brown-Gaisie also called on community leaders and members to re-ignite the spirit of communal labour to periodically desilt gutters and streams in their localities, to ensure the free flow of water during heavy rains.

The Chief Fire Officer made the call when he paid a two-day working visit to the Eastern Region to ascertain the flooded areas in Koforidua in the recent flood that hit the capital, and to determine some long lasting measures to prevent future occurrences.

His visit was also to create the avenue for him to meet fire officers in the region to strategize to ensure that the work of the Fire Service was improved.

He said every individual must take responsibility in ensuring that their actions and inactions focused on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters, and also stressed that Ghanaians should endeavour to obey rules and regulations to save themselves from disasters.

Dr Brown-Gaisie appealed to MDAs in the region to ensure that buildings are not constructed haphazardly to congest and to obstruct waterways.

He expressed worry about how it mostly became difficult for the fire officers to find places to stand to rescue lives due to congestion, and asserted that attitude of safety should not be the sole responsibility of the GNFS, but all institutions and individuals.

“Let us not ignore basic safety measures; we must all be circumspect in the usage of candles, gas cylinders and stoves and any other fire equipment to prevent any fire outbreaks in our homes,” the Chief Fire Officer advised.