Interior Minister to deploy 24-hour fire brigades in markets nationwide

The Minister for Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, is set to introduce a new initiative aimed at curbing fire outbreaks in markets across the country.

As part of this plan, fire brigades will be deployed to monitor markets around the clock, ensuring swift responses to potential fire hazards.

To support this initiative, the Ministry of Interior will collaborate with the Ministry of Youth Development to recruit beneficiaries from the Youth Employment Program. These individuals will undergo specialized training to assist in fire prevention and emergency response within market areas.

This move comes in response to a series of devastating fires that have destroyed key markets across the country, with the most recent incident occurring at the Blue Light section of the Kumasi Central Business District.

Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Muntaka Mubarak highlighted the need for sustained efforts to tackle market fires, stressing that the government remains committed to safeguarding lives and livelihoods through proactive fire prevention strategies.

“The other thing that we want to do, for which we will need and seek your support, is to have fire brigades in all our markets. Here, we cannot rely on firefighters alone because their numbers will not be enough to cover all our markets. So, we are currently in talks with the Minister for Youth Development.

“The Youth Employment model employs many youths; give them to us, and we will train them in fire safety and other related areas so that they can join the fire safety officers.

“This way, we can man our markets 24/7 so that when something happens, they can start the extinguishing process since they know while they call the fire service tenders to come. This requires innovation and partnership,” he noted.