The Ashanti region recorded a total of 661 fire outbreaks in 2009 making it the region with the highest number of fire outbreaks in that year.
The reported fire outbreaks cases last year claimed 6 lives and injured 311 persons.
The regional capital, Kumasi alone recorded 420 outbreaks prompting the regional branch of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) on the need for intensive education in the area.
The Ashanti Regional Operations Officer of the GNFS, Francis Darko Kono, who revealed this at a fire sensitization program in Kumasi said the service had put in place plans to reduce the total fire disasters this year by 50 per cent.
The sensitization program was organized by the metro office of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in collaboration with the GNFS for media personnel in the metropolis.
It sought to alert the participants whose work is mainly to disseminate information, on the possible causes, effects and prevention of fire disasters.
Giving the breakdown of the fire outbreaks, Mr Darko Kono said domestic fires, which is mainly caused by electricity, topped the list with 205, followed by vehicular with 63 and then commercial with 62 occurrences.
The rest were industrial-30, bush fires- 26, electrical -16, institutional- 6 and others – 12.
Mr Darko Kono attributed the high number of fire outbreaks and their inability to answer swiftly to distress calls to inadequate and obsolete logistics to handle fires, and what he called obstructions on the road.
“Sometimes there is so much traffic that other road users don’t even get a place to park to make way for our van, and there are some areas too which have no access roads to the house which is on fire,” he noted.
Comparing last year’s outbreaks to that of 2008 which was 735, the fire officer was not happy since there had not been much reduction.
He noted that the service had already started intensive fire education through schools, market places and communities, adding that people are ignorant about fires hence do things which are likely to cause disasters.
Fire disasters, according to Mr Darko Kono, can be reduced if all stakeholders assisted in curbing them.
The Regional Coordinator for NADMO, Joe Tamakloe, in a speech read on his behalf said government recognized the role of the media in exploring new ways to disaster prevention.
“We must therefore not only acquire appropriate knowledge about disasters, but must enlist media personnel in our programs in building disaster management plans,” he opined.
He said in order to ensure success in the fight against fire disasters, there should be social strategies to prevent or mitigate its effects like improving the coping capacity of communities.
STORY: FROM JAMES APPIAKORANG JNR., KUMASI
