The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has warned against activities causing fire outbreaks in the Western Region, particularly within the markets.
He said stakeholders must deal with the causes of fire outbreaks with all the seriousness it requires
“In dealing with them, we should deal with them effectively,” he emphasized.
He warned while responding to a report presented to him by an eleven-member Anti-Fire Committee he had put together a few weeks ago to investigate the causes and prevention of fire outbreaks, particularly in the markets in the region.
The regional minister commended the committee for accepting the responsibility to serve while describing the commitment as a huge challenge.
“It is going to help us to be able to deal with specific issues,” he said of the report presented.
The minister observed, “As we put up structures, whatever, whether it is a market or community, we must do this with seriousness. That is, put in place measures that will make access to the place be in our mind.
The places we do have masses of our people, like the markets, we have all these risks there. These are some of the issues that we can liaise with Assemblies to deal with them.”
The provision of fire extinguishers at strategic locations within the markets, as requested by the committee, the Minister noted, is very vital
The bigger challenge of logistics from your end, thus fire service, he contended, should be handled at the national level since that is beyond the Regional Coordinating Council
But, as the Regional Minister, he said he will constantly highlight these challenges to authorities to find solutions to them
“No market is immune from these fires, so it is very important that we put our ass together”
He expressed optimism that the preventive measures being deployed will work. “I just pray that we can put certain measures in place,” he said
In terms of the fire outbreaks, which have become annual rituals, the Minister described the situation as troubling “It is heart-wrenching.”
He said the Regional Coordinating Council would involve the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to address the issue of naked wires being exposed in the markets
“Those that can be tackled within the shortest possible time, we will do that without any hesitation,” He remarked
He cited the popular markets of Agona Nkwanta, Sekondi, and other densely populated areas as typical examples of where stakeholders must intensify the campaign against fire outbreaks
“We must do all that we can to prevent such fires from occurring. Therefore, the next leg of our engagement is for us to work together to prevent these fires.
Let’s work together to see how we do this. The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are key here.”
He said they must be part of the planning and execution of all the ideas contained in the report submitted to him.
“We have to get them to also play their role. The Assemblies clearly have a role to play.
Among the common causes of fire outbreaks in the markets, as identified by the committee, are the lack of adequate security in the markets to carry out early reporting of fire incidents, the display of naked wires, and the use of LPG gas, among others.
Jose Nelson called for effective collaboration between fire service and local assemblies to build and manage markets with responsibility.
The Chairman of the Anti-Fire Committee, ACFO2, David Asa Darko, explained the fundamental causes of fire outbreaks in the markets and outlined the solutions proffered by the committee.
He appealed to the minister to lead the campaign required to get the attention of the central government for the provision of logistics, equipment, and fire gadgets to aid the activities of the Ghana Fire Service.
By: Zambaga Rufai Saminu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
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