The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has warned persons, including officers of the Service, extorting monies from individuals and institutions under the pretext of issuing them with fire safety certificates, to desist from such acts.
Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, Chief Fire Officer (CFO), who gave the warning said, investigations had revealed that self-styled fire officers and some employees of the Service, were collecting monies from people and issuing them fake fire safety certificates.
Commissioning an ICT Centre, and cutting the sod for the construction of an ultra-modern maintenance workshop at the Central Regional head office of the GNFS in Cape Coast, Dr Gaisie said appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken against officers found culpable of such acts, and advised the general public not to deal with such unscrupulous persons.
“Let me take this opportunity to warn fire service personnel and other persons who want to take advantage of the situation to extort monies from people and companies to desist from such act....., that anybody who gets into this act would be severely dealt, with and my administration would not countenance this,” the CFO cautioned.
He indicated that if anybody wanted a fire safety certificate, there was a due process that needed to be followed, and therefore admonished individuals and institutions who wanted to acquire the certificate to follow due process and use the right channels to do so.
The ICT centre would help the Service to undertake research, do forensic investigations and analysis to facilitate its work, and help service personnel to attain a high level of sophisticated and advanced technology in fighting and detecting fire outbreaks in the region and beyond.
Dr Gaisie presented a fire tender to be used for rescue purposes only to ensure rapid response to accident cases.
He said despite the efforts of the GNFS in educating the public about fire safety prevention, the Service would not hesitate to prosecute adamant individuals and institutions who do not cooperate with it.
The CFO, therefore, urged individuals, institutions and the general public, to form workplace and community fire volunteer groups and community rescue squads, for the Service to train them to be able to respond to fire cases on time before the GNFS gets to the scene.
Dr. Gaisie also directed the Regional Fire Command to establish Fire Cadets in schools to train the students to develop interest in fire safety and respond to any fire outbreaks in their schools.
The Regional Fire Commander, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Semekor Kwaku Fiadzo, said the recent outbreak of fire at a radio station in Accra was a wake-up call and a signal of how the Fire Service was prepared to protect life and property.
Source: GNA
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