The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has dwelled of the ban on the sale and use of fire crackers across the country.

According to the service, it will not tolerate the use of fire crackers during the festive season.

Speaking in an interview, ACFO 1 John Amarlai Amartey, the Chief Fire Officer for the Central Region, emphasized that, “The use and sale of fire crackers popularly called knock outs is still in force. We will not tolerate the use of them in any form, anywhere during these celebrations.”

“We want to also alert the public that should you see any act or anything anybody around you is doing which is a recipe for fire outbreak, please don’t hesitate to call us so that we can quickly get to the scene and stop that from happening so we can all enjoy fire-free season.”

ACFO assured the public that the GNFS offices will be opened 24 hours during the festive period.

Mr. Amarlai called on owners of entertainment centres to put in place fire safety measures to ensure the safety of their customers.

“We want to also prompt owners of these public entertainment centres to do a proper assessment of means of escape and then also of their basic fire-fighting equipment to ensure that they are in good condition so that the safety of their client is ensured.”
john Amarlai

The Central Regional Chief Fire Officer further advised companies to hire security officers to guard their premises while they are away celebrating the season.

“We want to advise them to make sure that they engage in the services of security men who will be there 24 hours to guard the premises.

“What we’re asking for is that when there are fire outbreaks, these security men will alert the fire service so we can quickly respond and deal with the incident and then also, it will guard them against arson, to protect their premises against arson.”
John Amarlai

ACFO John Amarlia also urged vehicle owners to ensure their vehicles are properly fixed by persons who are well-trained. “We also want to advice owners of vehicles, where the vehicles are defective, they’re not in good condition, they shouldn’t just send it to any wayside garage owners, they should take them to properly qualified garage owners so that they will be able to repair them,” he stressed.

Alerting GNFS Before Using Fire Crackers

According to the Central Regional Chief Fire Officer, the Ghana National Fire Service requires a day notification from persons who want to use bonfire for their celebration during this years festivities.

Mr. Amarlia, urged such persons to follow due procedure to guarantee their safety and those of others during the season.

“We’re advising any individual or group of persons who would want to use bonfires as part of their celebrations, don’t do it without notifying Ghana National Fire Service.

“We require a full 24-hour notice so that we can come and supervise your bonfire so that it does not cause havoc to the community or within the environs who you are.”
John Amarlai