Tema, June 4, GNA – The Tema Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has cautioned traders at the Tema Community One market against contracting the services of unqualified electricians to undertake illegal power connections.
Divisional Officer Grade III, Nancy Amaka of the GNFS Tema Regional Safety Department who gave the advice explained that illegal electricity connections have been a major contributor to fire outbreaks whether domestic or in industrial areas including the markets leading to the destruction of lives and properties.
She said, “illegal connections put pressure on the electric power supply and that if the power supply comes in with pressure, it can also cause fire outbreak”.
DOIII Amaka said this during a Tema GNFS sensitization exercise in some markets, offices, key national installations, public buildings, and restaurants as part of the 2022 National Fire Safety Week, which seeks to educate the public on fire safety and precautionary measures.
She also advised that all sockets and power supply sockets should be switched off before setting off from the market or the office at the close of the day to their various homes and encouraged the traders to purchase fire extinguishers for their shops to serve as the first line of defense to fight fire at the initial stage.
Some of the traders, however, claimed that the unstable power supply from the Electricity Company of Ghana contributed to frequent fire outbreaks in the country.
Mr. Kofi Gyan of the Alooh Electricians in Tema Community One claimed that power fluctuated between 240 and 300 volts, and sometimes dropped below 240 volts.
GNA