The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the Tema West Municipality, in collaboration with the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the National Ambulance Service, has held a sensitisation engagement with the Baatsonaa market women on fire prevention.

Nana Tatantu, Tema West Municipal Director of NADMO, said as part of the reset agenda, the unit was creating a presence within the municipality to assure the public of the organisation’s commitment to prevent disasters in the area.

He said the initiative to engage stakeholders and educate them on disaster prevention was part of measures to achieve their mandate.

He added that such education would be carried out throughout the municipality by engaging identifiable groupings, especially in the slum communities, on topics including fire, first aid, and climate-related issues.

Nana Tatantu urged the market women to take such education seriously, as prevention was very important in safeguarding their products and the makeshift structures they live in.

“We don’t want to record fire situations before we call on the fire service and NADMO to respond; we want to prevent them. We are encouraging them to take part in these engagements to ensure that we make Tema West a fire-free area,” Nana Tatantu said.

Mr. Joshua Kugblenu, Assistant Divisional Officer I (ADO1), the Kasapreko Fire Station Officer, indicated that some activities that could cause fire in the markets include cooking in the market, illegal electricity connection, overloading of prepaid meters, and burning of rubbish in the market area.

He said when such activities are not properly attended to, they could come into contact with combustible materials, leading to fire outbreaks.

He urged the traders to adhere to safety measures, cautioning them against practices that could contribute to fire outbreaks, adding that they should reach out to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) on 192 and 112 and directly to the Tema regional office on 0302948531 in an emergency.

Mr. Saani Adams, a Senior Ambulance Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Tema West Municipal Ambulance Service, educated the traders on emergency issues.

He asked them to call upon the service during accidents on the road, at home and in other places, as they were in the best position to intervene and save lives, as they have the requisite skills to do so.