Monday, July 14, 2008

FIRE OFFICER APPEALS FOR FIRE HYDRANTS (NSEMPA, PAGE 15)

By Samuel Duodu, Sunyani.

THE Sunyani Municipal Fire Officer, Mr Kwasi Baffour–Awuah, has appealed to the Ghana Water Company (GWC) to provide fire hydrants at vantage points in the municipality and in the newly created districts to ensure smooth operation of personnel.
He noted that the hydrants were very important when fighting fire and every effort must be made to put them in place.
According to him, lack of fire hydrants in the newly created districts, inadequate fire appliances and protective clothing as well as inaccessible roads to markets were some of the challenges that confronted the smooth operations of the service.
Mr Baffour-Awuah disclosed this in an interview with Graphic Nsempa in Sunyani.
He said the Sunyani market and some others in the region have experienced fire outbreaks as a result of overloaded sockets and cooking in shops.
He therefore advised people, especially market women to desist from such practices.
Mr Baffour-Awuah observed that the incidence of fire outbreaks in the municipality had increased considerably in the second quarter of this year as compared to that of last year with bush fires still prevalent.
He said a total of 30 fire outbreaks were recorded in the second quarter of this year as compared to 27 last year.
The Municipal Fire Officer called on the police to speed up the prosecution of bushfire offenders and others who contravened environmental protection byelaws.
He further attributed the increase in fires to the refusal by individuals to heed to anti-bush fire measures and the practice of slash and burn agriculture as well as improper wiring of buildings and illegal electrical connections among others.
He continued that 75 per cent of the municipality had been covered in the anti-fire door-to-door educational campaign while radio talk shows meant to sensitise the people to the fire menace had been held.

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