Koforidua, Dec. 11, GNA - The acting Chief Fire Officer, Mr Albert Brown-Gaisie, has directed Regional and District Fire Officers to re-organize their fire volunteer squads towards reducing bushfires in the coming dry season by at least 30 per cent. He tasked them to raise the level of fire prevention awareness by going to the markets, schools, lorry stations, churches, mosques and all places where people gather to educate them on how to prevent fire during Christmas and the dry season.

Mr Brown-Gaisie was speaking at a meeting with fire officers in the Eastern Region at a durbar in Koforidua as part of his tour of the region. He said fire fighting was no longer the preserve of the fire service but a collaborative effort of all stakeholders. Mr Brown-Gaisie said people wrongly accuse the Fire Service Personnel of not doing much when there were fire outbreaks because they were not well- informed about the role of the fire service.

He appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to collaborate with the Service to decongest the markets in the country, clear structures that have been placed on water hydrants to help create access for fire tenders to enter the market during emergencies. The Acting Chief Fire Officer directed all regional and district fire officers to conduct fire audits of all markets under their jurisdiction and make the findings and recommendations available to their assemblies.