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The Chief Fire Officer, Dr. Albert Brown Gaisie, has signaled a new direction as the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) makes fire prevention a major thrust of its operation.

He said focusing more effort on how to substantially roll back the rising incident of fire outbreaks across the country was an urgent priority.

Dr. Gaisie was addressing personnel of the service at Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano North District as part of his four-day working visit to the Ashanti Region.

He had earlier paid separate courtesy calls on the Regional Minister, Mr. Alexander Ackon, and the Chief Executive of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr. Kojo Bonsu.

He is in the region to assess the operational challenges facing the service and devise appropriate strategies to efficiently deal with these.

Dr. Gaisie counseled the firefighters to up safety education to help people to do the right things to prevent fires, telling them to reach out to everybody - in the homes, work places and schools.

He said this was important to protect lives and stop the destruction of property through fires.

The Chief Fire Officer called for the people to heed safety education – to be extra careful in their handling of naked fire and the use of electrical appliances.

He applauded the Omanhene of Tepa, Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem, for releasing a 20-acre stretch of land for the establishment of a fire training institute to train fire volunteers.

He appealed for increased public support to ensure significant reduction in fire disasters.