Fire ravages Yegoala Hotel in Kumasi

Fire has gutted the Yegoala hotel at Ahodwo, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

It is unclear what sparked the fire which has destroyed several items in the hotel, Friday.

Personnel of the fire service are currently at the scene trying to put out the flame.



The Yegoala hotel belongs to the former Ghana International Anthony Yeboah. He has another branch of the hotel in Accra, Ghana’s capital.



 Source: starfmonline.com

GNFS to be proactive than reactive to fires-Chief Fire Officer

 
Dr. Albert Brown Gaisie, the Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), says the Service is undergoing a transformation to ensure proactive fire prevention instead the reactive to fire breaks.

He said to this effect various District, Municipal and Regional Commanders of the Service would be required to prepare effective contingency plans to deal decisively with fire-related matters.

"They must embark on educational drive in churches, mosques, radio stations, lorry parks and other public places to educate the populace on fire safety measures", he stressed. Dr. Gaisie said this at a staff durbar held in the Western Regional Headquarters of the GNFS at Fijai after touring some fire stations and installations in the Region.

The tour was meant to validate and familiarise with some operational and technical measures instituted by the various District and Municipal Fire Commands to ensure fire safety and enhance the socio-economic development of the country.

He said the Service wass confronted with complicated and unknown chemicals in its quest to combat fire outbreaks; therefore, it would be required to deal with such dangerous fire cases in order to protect lives and property as well as ensuring safety and health of personnel.

He noted that every institution at a point in time undergoes transformation which required sacrifices in view of changes in the society, especially with the emerging threats of terrorism and sporadic attacks on institutions and vital state installations and so personnel would be equipped to deal with such risks.

To ensure effective implementation of the contingency plans, he said, the fire commanders would sign Performance Audit Agreement with the Service, and occasionally, monitoring teams from the GNFS would undertake unannounced visits to fire posts and stations to undertake audits to ascertain their compliance.

He charged the personnel to take proper care of the Service's logistics, saying any equipment or materials request made by any district fire commander would be reviewed and justified before being granted to ensure value for money.

"You must ensure judicious utilization of resources allocated to your Command since it shows how effective and efficient you are as a leader", he said. The Chief Fire Officer announced that the GNFS would soon embark on fire safety courses to enhance the capacity of the personnel and encouraged them to take part since it would aid in their promotions, and also update their knowledge in fire safety management.

Touching on the impending general elections in November, Dr. Gaisie stated that some personnel of the Service would be assigned for election-related activities, and urged them to exhibit a high sense of professionalism and discipline.

Mr. Obeng Dankwa Dwamena, the Regional Commander of the Westren Region, said the Region has 17 fire stations and two fire posts and revealed that the Juaboso Fire post would be upgraded to a fire station while a facility has been made available for a fire station at Sefwi-Essam in the Bia West District.

He said the Region has staff strength of 415 made up of 54 senior officers, 361 junior officers and two civilian employees and indicated that the Regional Command had intensified public education on fire safety at markets, lorry parks and other public places aimed at minimizing the incidents of fire outbreaks.

Mr. Dwamena said, this year, the Region has recorded 119 fire cases between January and February with an estimated cost of damages amounting to GHc 273,653.00.

Source: GNA

The most important skill in firefighting

What is the most important attribute or skill set to be a successful firefighter? Physical strength? Technical skills? Knowledge of building construction or fire behavior?

All of these are important of course, but I would venture to say that the most important skill or attribute for a firefighter is the ability to work together with others as part of a coordinated team.

More than any other occupation, except perhaps the military, firefighting is something that you absolutely cannot do alone, regardless of your technical skill, physical strength, or personal commitment.

Everything firefighters do is a group effort, from advancement of hose lines to the extrication of a victim from a smashed car. Fire suppression involves both extinguishment and ventilation; investigation and prevention are two sides of the same coin. Without the ability to coordinate with others, the effectiveness of firefighting is lost.

Consider the problem of freelancing in the fire service. Many people who freelance have nothing but noble intentions. They think they see a need others don't see, and they feel empowered to personally meet it.

A freelancer can be the biggest, strongest, most technically skilled person on the department, but that person is also the most dangerous when their actions are not coordinated with the overall effort. Look closely at fire deaths and injuries over the years, and some form of freelancing often comes to the surface.

If the most important aspect of being a firefighter is being able to work as a member of a team, it is a logical progression to say that the most important skill as an officer is to develop that team.

The concept of team building might sound touchy-feely to some and they might prefer to focus their efforts on more technical skills.But the subtext to every activity that firefighters do is that they are doing it in coordination with others. If coordination is lost, or members of the team are seriously at odds with one another, the mission will fail.

Some people feel that every firefighter should have a skill set that is interchangeable with others. It shouldn’t matter who the leader is to get the job done.

Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but it does — not only on the fire scene, but especially during the majority of the time when firefighters are not responding to emergency incidents. Firefighters may go on autopilot to some degree during routine events, but what about when something changes — a wall collapses, a firefighter goes missing, a citizen runs up and says a child has been left behind? At that point it is necessary to shift gears and function seamlessly as a team to meet the new challenge presented.

And what about in the station when a joke goes too far or an argument escalates? At this point the value and mission of the team is the force that can pull people back from conflicting individual interests and behavior that can endanger everyone.

Technical skills are important. Firefighters want their officers to be competent. They want them to have the ability and confidence to evaluate situations and make good decisions.

But for those decisions to be truly effective, they must take into account not only individual interests, but the purpose and abilities of the team as a whole.

So how does one develop the ability to become a good team leader? Many resources can help: classes, books, informal discussions, observation of others, good mentors, analysis of case studies, just trying different things.

But the first, most critical aspect of this skill set is just the acceptance of it — that this is part of the job, this is part of who an officer is. Then every statement, action, and decision go back to the questions: Does this enhance who we are as a team? Are we better as a team that is inclusive of everyone as a result of what we are doing now? Will this action or decision make us better able to serve the public?

Team development and leadership are high level skills. They can take a career to master. Recognizing the importance of this task and accepting responsibility for team development as an officer are the first steps to a highly functional, committed crew, and your own success as a leader.

Source: firerescue1.com

Fire Service undertakes safety audit at GNA

A team of Inspection Task Force from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) on Monday visited the premises of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to assess the level of preparedness in the event of any unforeseen fire outbreaks.

The team which was led by Mr Charles Annobil, the Coordinator of the Inspection and a Station Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, went round the various Departments to ascertain the level of readiness of the Agency for any eventuality.

The Fire Officers also checked on the quality of electrical gadgets, renewals of fire license as well as the fire extinguishers displayed on the premises among other things.

Mr Annobil said the aim of the inspection which was routinely done on a quarterly basis, was to heighten the level of awareness of fire safety among the staff of all institutions as well as the public.

He said fire safety preparedness remains an essential aspect in both environmental and occupational safety and health, as there were numerous examples of physical hazards that has affected many workplaces, and most of them were mainly caused by inadequate strategies in fire prevention, detection and, or fire control.

He referred to fire outbreaks as disasters caused by actions of human beings directly or indirectly, adding that safety must entail all the activities which were geared towards their prevention, early detection and control.

These activities and processes were done to safeguard human life and to preserve property, he said.

Mr Annobil also said fire safety preparedness was one of the four phases of fire emergency management, which was aimed at fire disaster risk reduction, and involves a continuous cycle of planning, organising, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating and improving strategies, to ensure effective coordination and enhancement of capabilities to respond to fire disasters.

He said the fire inspectors during their work scrutinize residential, public and commercial buildings for compliance with fire and life safety codes and ordinances, and prepare inspection reports to be sent to the Director of Safety of the GNFS for onward action.

He said the Task Force looks out for the readiness of an institution’s Management towards fire safety and prevention, the control measures in place, safety gadgets including fire extinguishers, for preventing fire outbreaks, as well as the level of awareness of the staff on safety and prevention of fire. 

Mr Annobil said every institution must have a fire insurance certificate as well as fire extinguishers, which were both subject to yearly renewals, so that in the event of an unforeseen event, insurance could take responsibility of the losses suffered.

He therefore advised the Management of the GNA to ensure the proper installation of life safety requirements, extinguishing systems, and fire alarms.

Source: GNA

GNFS blamed for poor response to Kumasi court fire

A registrar at the Kumasi circuit court, Mrs Mary Osei, in response to the currently fire outbreak at their court chambers, has slapped the Ghana National Fire Service ( G.N.F.S ) for it's poor response towards their call to quench the fire which led to the destruction of some dockets and documents few days ago.

She disclosed this to journalist that, although, the cause of the fire is not clear now but, “the response from the emergency personnel as to which the fire started was very poor”.

Mrs. Osei also added that, as they picked the phone to call the personnel, it took them more time before their arrival, even after their arrival at the scene, the personnel claimed that the rope to be connected to the water tanker was too short to be used”, she added.

Mrs. Osei, further stated that, they could have quenched the fire before it got out of hand, but due to negligence, poor resources and bad attitude of the personnel, the flames got higher.

The circuit court registrar therefore, appealed to the government, to put measures across to overcome such situations as soon as possible.

Source : Sammy Adjei / Newsghana.com.gh

Less Fire Safety, More Risk, More Fire Safety, No Risk

When it comes to ensuring Fire Safety in both our homes and offices, the emphansis is been laid on only public and private places which I think is wrong. Equal attention has to be given to educating our homes and offices to enable us change the attitude of Ghanaians towards practicing the best fire safety culture.

Though I'm quite young, the number fire outbreaks that I have witnessed, have forced me to believe that Ghana as a nation has to take fire safety culture as a serious business, it is only in so doing that we can prevent our lives and property from being destroyed by fires.

The question about whether the National Fire Service is up and doing with regards to educating the public on the best safety practices remains unanswered and whether the the general public is putting into practice what the National Fire Service is preaching has also remained unanswered.

We live in a country where people can use huge sums of Ghana cedis to buy luxury cars but cannot use less than two hundred cedis to buy just one fire extinguisher that can be placed in same car they toiled to buy just in case of any accidental fires.

The story is the same when it comes to our homes. When building our homes. We put in place measures that will prevent any external person that will come and cause harm to us (armed robbers) but do not care about armed robbers that we created through our activities ( fire outbreaks).

We have burglar-proofed all the entrances of our homes but yet there is no single fire extinguisher or early fire detector ( smoke detector ) in our homes.

Majority of Ghanaians have refused to switch off their switches and sockets before leaving their homes and offices. When you go to public places, the first thing one is expected to see is a security officer. A very good example is our banks, one is expected to meet a well equipped police officer and a private security in addition. I bet you, just request for a fire safety officer and they won't be able to provide you one.

Fire Safety Culture is just not the priority of majority of Ghanaians. We have to change our way of life which is to practice what the National Fire Service preaches.

Churches, Schools, Private and public organizations should invite the Fire Service for free education programs. This will go a very long way to help and safeguard us from unwanted fires because 'Fire is a good servant but a bad master'.

Source: By Bless Kwesi Ankudey
 

Photos: Bushfires destroy Volta cocoa farms

 





Large swathes of cocoa farms in the northern part of the Volta Region have been burnt by bushfires that swept through them on Friday.

Apart from cocoa farms, palm plantations, cassava, plantain and other crop fields have been destroyed in the past three weeks by bush fires, which spread through quickly as a result of the prolonged, harsh Harmattan weather which prevailed until recently.

Farmers in Kadjebi, Jasikan, Nkwanta North and Nkwanta South had to fight those fires for hours.

Class News’ regional correspondent Emmanuel Atukpa reported that farmers whose farms have been spared the destruction are compelled to keep wake on their farms to prevent arsonists from setting their farms ablaze.

According to Atukpa, some of the affected farmers have become arsonists themselves, and are also burning other people’s farms.

Source: ghanaweb.com

LODD: Inmate firefighter dies from wildfire injury

Shawna Lynn Jones, 22, died from injuries she sustained after being struck by a boulder

Critically Injured Inmate Firefighter Airlifted From Fire To Hospital

MALIBU, Calif. — A 22-year-old inmate firefighter who was struck by a boulder as she assisted in extinguishing a Malibu brush fire this week, has died, officials said Friday.

Shawna Lynn Jones died Thursday of her injuries, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilition.

Jones, 22, was struck by a boulder that had rolled down a hill while she was helping to fight fire near Mulholland Highway and Bardman Street.

Officials with the department of corrections said she was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition with major head injuries.

Early Thursday morning, Jones was removed from life support after her organs were donated, in keeping with her family’s wishes, officials said.

“Her death is a tragic reminder of the danger that inmate firefighters face when they volunteer to confront fires to save homes and lives,” said CDCR Secretary Scott Kernan. “On behalf of all of us in the department, I send my deepest condolences to her family.”

Jones, a Los Angeles County jail inmate, had joined CDCR’s firefighting program in August 2015 and was assigned to the Malibu Camp, one of three camps that house 195 women firefighters. The program is operated jointly with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

There are 3,500 inmate firefighters in California who help during blazes by cutting containment lines to stop the spread of wildfires and douse hot spots during cleanup.

Jones was the third inmate firefighter to die on a fire line since the camp program began in 1943.

The fire she was helping to fight was contained on Friday. It had burned about 10 acres.

Source: firerescue1.com

Fire ravages Kumasi Court Complex

The Kumasi Court Complex was a scene of commotion on Wednesday as judges, lawyers, prosecutors and parties seeking justice tried to outdo one another as they ran for their lives when some of the offices in the complex caught fire.

They ran out of the courtrooms when they saw thick smoke bellowing from one of the chambers on top of Circuit Court Three.

Proceedings at some of the courts were suspended, as the damage caused was such that those courts could not sit again.

The building houses two High Courts, Circuit Court Three and the chambers of three judges.

Fire

The fire, which lasted less than an hour, completely burnt the chambers of Mr Ekow Mensah, a Circuit Court judge, and that of Mr Justice Apenkwah, a High Court judge, while part of the chambers of Mr Justice Kossi Efo Kaglo was damaged.

All documents, dockets, previous rulings, law reports and exhibits kept in the chambers of the judges were destroyed in the fire.

According to a prosecutor at the court, Chief Inspector Joe Debrah, smoke was seen coming out of one of the rooms, a situation which compelled the people, including the judges, to run out of the courtrooms to safety.

Firefighters from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Fire Station were on hand to douse the flames.

They were joined by their colleagues from the Kumasi Metro Fire Service Station located near the court.

Effect

Mr Justice Kaglo said the incident would greatly affect justice delivery in the region, since cases whose dockets were burnt in the fire would have to start afresh.

Besides that, he said, evidence on cases before the judges had been lost and that would affect the ruling in those cases.

Official

The Ashanti Regional Administrator of the Judicial Service, Mr Noel Agodzo, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire and that he would have to wait for a report by the Fire Service before he could make any comment on the incident.

Source:graphiconline.com

Ghana: Fire Razes Down Buipe Market ... Buipewura Calls for Immediate Govt Intervention

Buipe — The already deplorable Buipe Central Market narrowly escaped what could have been a devastating fire outbreak during the weekend, but for the timely intervention of personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Buipe.

In spite of the swift intervention by the fire officers, over 20 stalls were still razed to the ground. The entire Buipe Central Market is full of wooden structures and roofed with thatched material. The Assistant Divisional Officer of the GNFS in the Central Gonja District, Eastward Paddy, told the media that the cause of the fire was not yet known, and that his outfit was investigating it.

According to him, there was no casualty, because the fire did not occur on a market day. The Fire Officer complained about the haphazard manner the Buipe Central Market was constructed, without any proper access roads in case of emergencies.

The Paramount Chief of Buipe, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II, after visiting the market to assess the extent of damage, appealed to the government to critically look at the deplorable state of the place and direct resources for its development to befit its status as one of the largest markets in the Northern Region.

The reconstruction of the market, he said, would enhance the economic activities of the people. The Buipe Market attracts traders from Kumasi, Techiman, Dormaa, Berekum, Sunyani, Krachi, Bimbilla, Yendi, Salaga, Makango, Tamale, Wa, Bolgatanga, Bawku, Navrongo and from almost all the regions of Ghana.

It is also patronised by traders from neighbouring Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger, who usually trade in cattle, goats, tomatoes and onions. According to him, the Buipe Market is by far the second largest market, after the Techiman market in the Brong Ahafo Region, and required the urgent attention of the government for upgrading.

Buipe is the gateway to the three Northern Regions and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, and the market has become attractive to traders from these countries, because it offers them the opportunity to transport goods to and from the southern part of Ghana through the Volta Lake

The Buipe Market is strategically located between the main Kumasi-Burkina Faso trunk road and the Buipe Inland Port on the Black Volta. It is also the central point for all the fishing communities along the White and Black Volta rivers, as well as those along other major rivers, and even people from the coastal areas who come to do business.

Apart from fish, the market has a comparative advantage over the others, due to the large sale of cattle, goats, sheep and guinea fowls. The Buipe Market is also noted for the availability of large quantities of yams, groundnut, sorghum, soya bean, dawadawa, okra, pepper, tomatoes, watermelon and a host of other crops, fruits and vegetables.

The market also witnesses the display of different types of farm inputs, cooking utensils, electrical appliances, clothing, clothes, and other domestic items.

 However, the nature of the market leaves much to be desired especially during the rainy season, as most of the items, including tomatoes, pepper, onion, garden eggs, oranges, carrots, groundnut paste, palm oil and other perishable products are displayed openly on the muddy or dusty ground for buyers to purchase.

Source:allafrica.com

Ghana

Mahama Flays BoG Over DKM Scam

President John Mahama has hit hard at the Central Bank for sleeping on the job while some microfinance companies milk … see more »

Two judges lost chambers to fire

Fire on Wednesday swept through a court building in Kumasi, leaving the chambers of two judges in complete ruins.

It totally destroyed the record books files and every document there together with exhibits, air-conditioners and furniture.

It started at about 1030 hours when the courts were sitting and the incident sent people who had packed themselves in the courts fleeing to safer grounds.

The intervention of fire-fighters prevented it from spreading to other offices to wreak more havoc.

Eyewitnesses told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the extent of damage could have been minimized, if personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), had responded swiftly.

They said it took the personnel about 40 minutes to arrive after the fire had started adding that, the story would have been different, had they made it to the place a bit earlier.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Semekor Fiadzo, the Regional Fire Officer, however, discounted the claim that their response to the emergency was slow.

He said they received the distress call at 1100 hours, quickly responded and managed to confine the fire to the two chambers, which had already been engulfed.

Preliminary investigations, he said, pointed to a faulty air conditioner as the cause of the fire.

Source: GNA

Fairfield Township Council Honors Fairfield Volunteer Firefighters

FAIRFIELD, NJ — The Fairfield Township Council honored the men who help keep the town safe 24/7, the Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department, at the Feb. 22 town council meeting.

Councilman Michael McGlynn read the proclamation from the town, which included the names of the firefighters being honored for their years of service to the department: 40-year volunteers Richard VanEerde and Justin Lizza; 25-years volunteers Dan Cerami and Kevin Koch; 20-year volunteer Joe Przbylinski; 15-year volunteer Brian Cusano; and five-year volunteers Matt Napolitano and Wes Mierzwa. McGlynn added that Fairfield “wouldn’t be Fairfield without these guys.”

“I can’t say enough about the volunteers of this town,” said Council President Joseph Cifelli, acknowledging the volunteers’ hard work. “This department is the backbone of this town. These are the guys who, if you have a problem, leave their families to help you.”

Township Business Administrator Joseph Catenaro made special note about the volunteer aspect of the department.

“Believe it or not, there are people in the community who do not know these gentlemen are volunteers,” said Catenaro. “They just assume a fire department is paid. What they do for the township, risking life and limb, they do without the benefit of a paycheck.”Catenaro encouraged individuals and media to learn more about the work the Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department does for the town.

The Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department currently has 28 active members, who undergo at least 30 hours of training per year. The 38th Annual Pancake Breakfast to help support the department will be held this year on March 20.

Source:tapinto.net

Fire union files complaint over budget, staff cuts

Proposed budget cuts would eliminate six high-level staff positions; the union president said members are being treated unfairly.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — A fire union in Iowa has filed a complaint with the state over proposed fire department budget and staffing cuts.

The Quad City Times reported that the Davenport Fire Department's new budget would include $255,000 in cuts and the elimination of several staff positions.

The complaint was filed after the union was told a district chief, captain, two lieutenants and two engineers would be demoted this year. Four of the six members were just promoted in December.

"It was a normal, scheduled union mangement meeting," said Chief Washburn. "We had a very good discussion."Fire union president Ryan Hanghian and Fire Chief Lynn Washburn met with the city administrator and an alderman to discuss concerns over the decrease in staff.

"We're working toward a solution," Hanghian said. "It may not be the best solution. It may not be one we're OK with or we can agree with, but it might be one we can live with."

Washburn said she and other city staff are trying to come up with solutions to cut the fire department's budget. She did not elaborate on what those solutions might be.

The complaint said the city is blaming the union for the demotions and has told union representatives to stop posting signs about the dispute. Yard signs informing residents about the ongoing feud have popped up around the community.

"I didn't stand up at a mayor's press conference that we were OK with the current level of staffing," Hanghian said. "Because of that, our membership was thrown back on the table for demotions. That's not fair. We don't make department policy."

Union members have been reprimanded for posting the signs.

"Our membership has a right," Hanghian said. "This community has the right to know what they're getting for their tax dollar. We want our guys to be treated fairly. They're allowed to do certain things. Freedom of speech is allowed."

Source: firerescue1.com