The Central Region Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) recorded a drastic reduction in the number of bush fires in the region in 2019.
A total of 57 bush fires representing 71 percent decrease over that of 2018 figure of 197 occurred.
In all, the Service responded to a total of 574 incidents including; road traffic accidents in 2019 as against 753 in the previous year, representing 24 percent decrease in the frequency of incidents recorded.
Assistant Division Officer (ADO) II Abdul WasiuHudu, the Central Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GNFS, who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency explained that of the figure, 466 were fire outbreaks, while 108 were accident cases.
He indicated that though the frequency of incidents recorded during the year under review reduced, more fatalities were recorded as against the year 2018 with over a million Ghana Cedis as the cost of damage to items and property.
He said 119 injuries and 32 deaths were recorded in the 108 accident cases that the Service attended to during the year under review as against 31 and two recorded respectively in 2018.
He said 166 of the cases recorded were domestic, 65 vehicular cases, and 45 electrical, while 77 were commercial with 40 industrial and institutional fires.
ADO II Wasiu Hudu expressed worry at the continuous increase in domestic fires saying, the figures were in contrast to the vigorous public education by the Service.
In this regard, he advised Ghanaians to take precautionary measures to prevent fire outbreaks as many of the domestic fires could be prevented with caution and further advised the public to call the Service during fire outbreaks.
On education, he said series of training sessions and fire safety education were carried out in schools, market places and at public gatherings during the year under review.
For the year 2020, he said the GNFS outlined series of public awareness campaigns especially along the coastal communities, where fire incidents were fatal due to the nature of their settlements.
He assured that the Service would continue to institute fire safety response measures to act swiftly and professionally in case of an outbreak.
GNA
