By Kweku Abdallah
Takoradi, Feb. 6, GNA – Dr Patrick Ekye Kwesie, a Petroleum Management expert and leader of the Western Nzema Youth League, has made an urgent call to the Western Regional command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to audit all fire hydrants in Nzemaland to ensure compliance with fire standards.
He said the audit was necessary because many of the fire hydrants in the central business area of Nzema were either faulty, encroached or fully covered with refuse.
This, he said, was against the backdrop that Nzemaland was a host to all the hydrocarbon companies.
Dr Kwesie, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said there was a need for the GNFS to double their efforts in maintaining the fire hydrants in the Nzema area.
He said tourists’ facilities and homes located close to the hydrocarbon facilities must be audited as well and appropriate measures adopted to avert any future calamity.
“From our research, major fire hydrants have been encroached, personnel are not well resourced, Fire tenders are inadequate, considering the fact that Nzema houses Ghana’s wealth in the area of oil and gas,” he said.
“History made us aware that Dr Kwame Nkrumah had plans to set up a fire safety brigade as the oil activities started with Petro Canada in Bonyere and Domunli areas,” he added, while stressing the need for the GNFS to be equipped to set up fire brigades
Dr Kwesie appealed to the Ghana Gas Company and Meridian Power, among others to resource the GNFS in the area to audit all the fire hydrants and purchase adequate fire tenders to safeguard their investments.
He said there was a need to ensure the safety of such huge investments, taking into consideration the overall safety of inhabitants.
He further admonished inhabitants in the area to desist from building their shops on hydrants so that firefighters could save lives and properties during fire outbreaks.
GNA