Wednesday, December 15, 2010

GNFS TO ASSESS SAFETY AT MARKETS (PAGE 46, DEC 13, 2010)

THE Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is to embark on safety review procedures on markets nation-wide to assess their safety with regard to fires and other disasters.
The exercise, which will be in conjunction with district assemblies, will aim at preventing fire disasters that have plagued major markets in the country in recent times.
The acting Chief Fire Officer of the GNFS, Mr Albert Gaisie, announced this when he addressed the firemen and women in the Volta Region at Ho during his maiden visit to the region last Wednesday.
He said a consortium of engineers, architects, surveyors and other technical people would be formed to help in educating the people on issues of fire prevention and fire fighting, adding that fire fighting was becoming complex.
Mr Gaisie said a fire safety awareness creation campaign on “fire prevention, fire precaution, and fire protection,” had begun and that he would lead a campaign in the Greater Accra Region next week to sensitise the public to the loss of investments through fire outbreaks.
He stressed the need to intensify education so that all citizens would be made “true fire preventive personnel.”
He asked the fire service personnel to extend their campaigns to institutions mandated to comply with the regulations of the GNFS.
On capacity building, the acting Chief Fire Officer said the service would pursue a liberal policy to enable the fire service personnel to develop themselves through courses that would equip them with knowledge to determine contingency planning and to identify potential hazards.
He said the service would ensure that fire-fighting clothing was supplied at least three times in a year.
Mr Gaisie expressed concern over the poor state of logistics in the region and ordered that request be made to the headquarters for the rehabilitation of broken-down fire engines and vehicles in the region.
In a welcoming address, the Regional Commander of the GNFS, Mr Alex Martels Hughes, said the GNFS would enhance its corporate image by demonstrating the relevance of their presence in the region, adding that there was an ongoing campaign in churches, mosques and markets.
He disclosed that there were 15 fire stations, two fire posts and a total of 282 personnel in the region.

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