Sunyani (B/A), Sept. 29, GNA - The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Brong-Ahafo recorded 217 fire incidents between January and July this year, with an estimated damage to property at 4.355 billion cedis.

Domestic fires recorded were 94, bushfires 68, vehicular fires 19 and other fire cases 36. Assist Chief Fire Officer Alex Martels Hughes, Regional Fire Officer, announced this at a durbar of officers and men of the Service in Sunyani on Thursday to welcome Mr Felix Kwame Ferkah, Chief Fire Officer, on his maiden visit to the Region. Mr Hughes announced that the Region had 380 personnel of 312 males and 68 females.

He enumerated a number of problems including the lack of utility vehicles and staff accommodation, inadequate and old fire tenders, lack of communication and operational equipment, as well as the lack of a regional headquarters building, which were hampering their efficient performance.

The Regional Fire Officer noted that the Service was overstretching the 11 fire engines in the region.

He expressed concern that the construction of a new headquarters building had been abandoned for the past six years as a result of financial constraints and appealed to the Chief Fire Officer to assist for work on the project to resume.

Mr Ferkah said he had already visited the Volta, Eastern and Ashanti regions since he assumed office in May this year. He commended the officers and men of the Service in the Region for their hard work despite the problems they faced but warned them against leaking vital information to the media to tarnish the image of the Service.

"The Service will not condone indiscipline", he cautioned and urged the personnel to study the Service's disciplinary codes as contained in LI 1725.

To reduce the frequency of fire incidents, the Chief Fire Officer stressed the need to enforce LI 1724 and the fire precaution regulation 2003, which had the dual objective of ensuring safety of occupants of premises and also generating revenue. Mr Ferkah noted that even though some of the problems the Service faced seemed insurmountable, plans were underway to address them and commended the District Assemblies that had provided office accommodation for the Service.

He urged the personnel to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Mr Ferkah had earlier inspected some abandoned projects of the Service.