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.
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