Officers of the Ghana National Fire Service
The Effutu directorate of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has disclosed that a total of 74 fire incidents were recorded in the Municipality from January to December 2024, compared to 53 in 2023.
According to DOII Fredrick Adu Poku, Effutu Municipal Commander of the GNFS, the increase in fire outbreaks could be attributed to non-adherence of fire safety measures by the public, despite the numerous awareness campaigns and education by the Service.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Winneba, DOII Adu Poku revealed that the station attended to 113 emergencies, 17 commercial fires and 25 domestic fire outbreaks in 2024 as against 94 emergencies, 14 commercial and 21 domestic fire outbreaks in 2023.
He also indicated that bushfire cases in the Municipality increased from 13 in 2023 to 29 in 2024, while they received two false alarms in 2024 as against one in the previous year and attended to 24 accidents in 2024 as against 26 in 2023.
Vehicle fire reduced from eight in 2023 to three in 2024, he said.
On causes of fire outbreaks, DOII Adu Poku emphasized that the misuse of electricity, naked lights and electrical faults, gas leaks, unattended cooking, and other preventable and avoidable causes remained major contributors to the fires recorded in the catchment area.
He said the Command would increase public awareness and education on fire safety, enhance training programmes and foster collaboration with emergency response agencies.
DO II Adu Poku urged the public to switch off electrical equipment when not in use, avoid unattended cooking, overfilling of LPG cylinders and get their gas leakages fixed, saying, while avoiding indiscriminate bush and refuse to burn, avoid overloading electrical circuits to minimize the risk of fires.
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