Techiman (B/A), Nov. 20, GNA - The Techiman Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Prince Yaw Donyina, has commended the Mesidan Anti-Bush fire volunteer squad for winning the national 2005/2006-bushfire-campaign award launched at Kpando in the Volta Region.

The Mesidan Squad received 70 pieces of cutlasses, 30 pairs of Wellington boots and 20 pieces of T-Shirts as their award. At a colourful ceremony to welcome the recipient volunteers, which coincided with the Assembly's third ordinary meeting, Mr. Donyinah expressed the assembly's appreciation for the squad's tireless efforts in combating bushfires in their respective communities.

He called on all assemblymembers, community leaders and traditional rulers to join hands to help fight against wanton destruction by indiscrinate bush burning.

Mr. Donyina said the Techiman municipality recorded 11 fire outbreaks as against 25 the previous year stressing that the figure depicted how seriously the members of the squad had worked and appealed to all to seriously take up the education on bushfires within their respective electoral areas.

He noted that the incidence of bushfires had over the years, brought untold hardships to families leading to government and assemblies to expend huge amounts of money that could have been used for development projects and asked the people to be concerned about the use of naked fires to farm.

Mr. Oliver Addo, Assemblyman for Mesidan on behalf of the volunteers, thanked the Assembly for their concern and pledged the squad's readiness to educate as well as fight against any outbreak of bushfires in the area and the municipality as a whole.