The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Tema Region, has announced plans to reduce fire outbreaks in the region at least by five per cent through enhanced training, intensified inspections, and increased public education.

Divisional Officer II, (DOII) Ebenezer Yenzu, the Public Relations Officer, (PRO) for GNFS, Tema Region, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that as part of this effort, the service would train fire service personnel on modern firefighting techniques and prepare them mentally for the job.

DOII Yenzu mentioned that the service believes that equipping officers with up-to-date knowledge and skills would improve their efficiency in responding to fire emergencies and preventing outbreaks.

He noted that continuous training was necessary to keep fire officers informed about global trends in firefighting, stressing that firefighting was evolving; as such, the personnel needed to be well-trained to handle modern challenges.

“There’s always new technology, new ways of doing things; we learn from certain incidents that occur,” he stated.

The PRO further said GNFS also has plans to strengthen its inspection activities across the country, which he said would entail regular visits to public places, businesses, markets, and residential areas to ensure that fire safety measures were strictly followed.

He added that the inspections would also help identify fire hazards so that appropriate actions could be taken to prevent disasters, adding that the service had observed that many fire outbreaks resulted from negligence, such as faulty electrical wiring, improper storage of flammable materials, and failure to adhere to basic safety regulations.

He said that GNFS also aims to increase fire safety awareness among the public, saying that the service would organise educational campaigns to teach people how to prevent and respond to fire outbreaks.

DOII Yenzu said the campaigns would focus on markets, schools, workplaces, and communities, ensuring that the public understands the importance of fire safety measures, stressing that the service was determined to implement effective strategies that would help protect lives and properties.
He assured Ghanaians of GNFS’s commitment to providing timely responses to fire emergencies while working proactively to prevent incidents before they occur and encouraged the public to report fire hazards promptly and follow safety guidelines to contribute to a safer environment.