The Ghana Fire Protection Service Providers Association (GFPSPA) has said that government’s attempt to find solutions to fire explosions in the country should not be limited to only fuel and gas-related fires.

In a statement issued over the weekend and signed by the association’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Godwin Kofi Akuamoah, the association recommended that “attention should be equally given to other areas with potential fires threats, such as electrical installations, public buildings, residential premises and all other facilities that will need one or more fire protection systems”.

The association expressed regret that within a period of three years, Ghana has experienced eight gas explosions, and condemned the current practices of fire safety and control measures, which, it said, compromises the security of the people all around the country.

It noted that the fire explosions could be traced to different causes, including the lack of risk assessments to identify hazards at the gas and oil stations, absence of control measures, lack of well-structured contingency plans, lack of stringent supervision by regulators, absence of sanctions to sanitise the system, and lack of co-ordination between regulatory bodies and industry players for effective policy implementation.

It, therefore, urged government to take a look at the country’s laws that regulate security and safety at industries and strategise effectively for remedial action, targeted at averting such avoidable incidents in the country.

On the way forward, the association, among other things, called for good risk assessments to be carried out to identify potential hazards.

It also suggested the identification and adoption of world-wide fire prevention, fire containment and fire-fighting systems, such as firewalls for gas filling stations, fire suppression systems, sprinkler systems, hydrants with water and foam, gas detectors and monitors to mitigate these challenges, if not eradicate them altogether.

The association also called for increased education and continuous awareness creation relevant to the avoidance of future potential fire outbreaks.