The Tema Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Assistant Chief Fire Officer I (ACFO I), Doris Lamptey, has described the media as a key stakeholder that could help clear the negative public perception about the work of the service through accurate reporting.
She said the public’s wrongful perceptions were sometimes exacerbated by inaccurate reportage by some Journalists who failed to seek information from the personnel of the GNFS and verify all facts, but rather dwell on views of fire victims or eyewitnesses for their reportage.
The public may not entirely understand the operations of the GNFS hence there’s a need for Journalists to be accurate and circumspect when reporting on fire incidents, ACFO I Lamptey stated during an interaction with the media at the Regional Headquarters in Tema on Tuesday to mark the 2023 fire safety week.
According to her, relying only on other sources without proper verification of facts from the GNFS due to the penchant for speed and the haste to break the news would not let the public appreciate the hard work of the Service.
Such acts, she said, discredited and undermined the work of the GNFS creating a negative image for the Service.
“Wrongful comments by the public such as going to fire scenes with empty fire tenders could only be corrected if Journalists understood the operations of the Service and inform the public accordingly,” she stated.
Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional Command, Divisional Officer (DO III), Ebenezer Yenzu, said the partnership between the media and GNFS was essential to relay accurate information to the public as the Service could not work in isolation.
He encouraged the media to help intensify public education on the role of the GNFS in saving lives and properties.
To the public, DO III Yenzu advised both households and industries to continually observe fire safety rules and guidelines to prevent fire outbreaks.
Other activities to mark the fire safety campaign are fire simulation exercises, public education on fire safety at the Mosques on Friday and at the Churches on Sunday as well as fitness exercise and aerobics.
FROM KEN AFEDZI, TEMA
