Tema, Dec. 19, GNA – The Devtraco Fire Service Station of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Tema Community 25 has launched a one-week fire safety campaign to educate the public on fire safety and preventive measures during the Christmas season.
The programme, which was geared towards reduction and prevention of fire outbreaks was on the theme: “Fire safety, everyone’s responsibility”.
It was also aimed at sensitizing organizations and community members on the pragmatic measures to deal with fire situations.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer I, Ms. Doris Lamptey, the Tema Regional Fire Officer said, fire safety was a shared and collective responsibility, which could not be carried out by only GNFS.
She called on all individuals to help sustain the campaign by practicing fire safety measures at home as the harmattan and the Christmas season approach.
Ms Lamptey noted that, “the youth must be involved in this practice, and one of the best ways to catch their attention was to use creative fire safety and preventive messages on social media platforms”.
She explained that the fire incident in the Tema Region had decreased, and that showed the commitment of the Fire Service Unit in the region.
“In the Tema Region, our statistics compiled from January 2021 to date indicate that fire incidents at domestic and commercial premises are on the average of 34 per cent for each of the total fire incidents.
“Whereas fire incident at industrial premises is only 2 per cent of the total of fire incident. Clearly, this statistic tells us our industry is doing something good”, she said.
Ms Lamptey said the District Fire Officers must upscale the use of traditional media such as the radio and infuse social media to reach out to the wider populace.
“In the past, the purpose of the public fire safety education campaign has been on using traditional media such as radio programmes to create awareness. In this era of Information Communication Technology, I will urge the district fire officers and their teams to take advantage of the social media to propagate the message of fire safety and prevention,” she added.
District Officer II, Mr Philemon Buabeng II, the Devtraco Fire Commander assured the GNFS of readiness to assist in training residents in acquiring fire knowledge to help prevent fire outbreaks in the region.
He said, “be reminded that our doors are open, and you are always welcome to our stations to make inquiries and how our outfit can help train your staff”
GNA