At least, 3,819 fire outbreaks were recorded in the country between January and July this year, 141 incidents more than the 3,678 recorded at the same period last year

Out of the total number of cases recorded during the 2023 first half, 1,478 were domestic fires, followed by commercial fires which recorded 636 cases with bushfires, also, recording 559 cases.

Also, there were 455 electrical and 368 vehicular fire cases during the period while institutional fire also recorded 146 cases.

The Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Julius A. Kuunuor, who gave the statistics, said about 60 to 70 per cent of those occurrences could have been prevented, if safety fire precautions were observed.

He was speaking at the launch of this year’s Fire Safety Education Campaign, which took place at the GNFS Headquarters in Accra yesterday.

The campaign, held on the theme: “60 Years of Existence: Fire Safety, the Choice for a Safer Environment,” formed part of the renewed efforts by the GNFS towards educating citizens on the occurrence of fires to create a safe environment for people.

CFO Kuunuor said it was not enough to simply react to fire, rather people must proactively work together towards preventing fires in their various homes, offices, workplaces, and communities since fire prevention and management was not only a shared responsibility, but a civic responsibility. 

“This, therefore, requires a concerted effort from all of us, including government agencies, businesses, educational institutions, and, most importantly, the public,” he said.

He said the theme for this year’s occasion emphasised the significance of taking preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of fire incidents.  

He stressed the importance of focusing on educating the communities about fire hazards, promoting responsible behaviours, and implementing effective fire safety measures in their homes, workplaces, and public spaces.

The Chief Fire Officer thus expressed the service’s commitment to enhance its fire safety infrastructure, improving its emergency response capabilities, and expanding its public outreach programmes. 

“We will continue to invest in the training of our firefighters and personnel, equipping them with the latest contemporary knowledge of fire prevention, and fostering partnerships with local communities to ensure a safer Ghana,” he stated.

The Deputy Minister for the Interior, Naana Eyiah, said the government was committed more than ever to contributing its quota to the cause of ensuring the safety of all and sundry.

In that regard, she said the service was set to take delivery of over 200 Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV) to boost its resource base

“A few days ago, I had the opportunity to see a sample and a demonstration of this RIV vehicle that arrived in the country.

It is designed to manoeuvre through traffic with ease and respond to emergencies in record time.

Thus this is expected to greatly improve the response time of the Service to save life and property,” she disclosed.

Ms Eyiah further encouraged fire officers to keep up with the good work they were doing for the country, indicating that their service was at the heart of the well-being of citizens and the development agenda of the country.
 

Partnership

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who was a special guest, gave an assurance that the Ministry would partner the GNFS to incorporate best fire safety practices into all school construction drawings before they were built.

Through that partnership, he said, the service would also review all school facilities and give all the necessary safety recommendations.

“Their work positively impacts ours so we want to partner them to ensure that they review all school construction drawings and tell us the right materials to use to make sure it is safe to accommodate children,” Dr Adutwum said.