According to the Greater Accra Regional Commander of the GNFS, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Grade I(ACFO1) RobertaAggrey-Ghanson, creating awareness and frequently engaging the public in simulation exercises goes a long way in reducing fire accidents.

The commander made the assertion yesterday when she led a delegation from her outfit to pay a familiarisation visit to the management of the New Times Corporation (NTC).

She stated that educational campaigns in collaboration with the media had proven to produce good results when it comes to increasing awareness about fire safety in the country, adding that the media had also contributed significantly to spreading such information to the populace.
“The GNFS recognises the contribution of the media in the success of all our educational campaigns and we are grateful for this. Fire safety must be of concern to every member of the public,” she said.

Touching on some challenges the region was facing with regards to firefighting, the commander indicated that currently, there were only 57 fire hydrants in the whole Greater Accra Region.

She therefore advised the public to keep water reservoirs in their homes that firefighters could rely on in case of emergencies.

Explaining further, ACFO1 Aggrey-Ghanson said during firefighting exercises, pump failures could occur “that is why we always ensure our appliances are tested to ensure there are no defects.”

The Greater Accra Region alone, she revealed, had 20 firefighting appliances, adding that rumours about the GNFS driving empty fire tenders to locations where there are fire outbreaks was false.

According to her, even faulty fire tenders which had been parked at the offices of the GNFS were filled with water for use when the need arose.

The Managing Director of the NTC, Mr Martin Adu-Owusu,expressed gratitude to the delegation for showing readiness to collaborate with the NTC in its fire safety educational campaigns.

He assured that the NTC would not relent in its efforts to support all activities geared towards promoting public safety.