Drivers' attitute to siren worrying: Fire Officer

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Mr Obeng Dankwa Dwamena, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) has expressed concern about the attitude of some drivers in Kumasi Metropolis with regard to their response to emergency siren.

He said apart from their disregard for the siren, some drivers obstruct fire tenders anytime they were responding to fight fire in the metropolis and beyond.

“This does not only affect our operations but cause more damage to people's property and loss of precious lives,” he added.

Mr Dwamena who is also Ashanti Regional Fire Officer expressed these sentiments in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Kumasi.

He noted that until the practice was checked, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) would continue to battle with time and appealed to Ghana Police Service and stakeholders in the metropolis to assist them to facilitate their operations.

Mr Dwamena appealed to the people to use their emergency lines 192 and 999 which did not attract any charge on any of the country's communication networks instead of calling radio stations whenever there was fire outbreak.

He explained that calling radio stations rather prolonged the length of time in reaching the Fire Service and urged the people to call them early instead of waiting until the situation was worse before calling them for assistance.

Mr Dwamena commended the media for their role in the fight against fire and appealed for their support in educating the public on the need to be conscious of causes of fire and its effects on society.

He called on religious groups, social clubs and organisations to include education on fire prevention and control in their programmes to complement their efforts at educating the public.

Source: GNA