FIRE OFFICER CALLS FOR SAFETY MEASURES (MIRROR, PAGE 34, MARCH 13, 2010)

From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

The Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, ACFO P.A. Mensah, has called on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) operators and proprietors of hotels in the region to be guided by safety measures to guard against fire outbreaks in their business environments.
He pointed out that the use of safety measures would also reduce the impact of any possible fire outbreak to sustain their businesses.
Mr Mensah, who gave the advice when he interacted with dealers of LPG operators and a section of hotel managers in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs, recommended the use of automatic sprinkler system at gas storage tanks as one of the safety measures that should be considered by gas operators in particular and hotels in general.
The meeting followed the recent increase in fire outbreaks in parts of the country, which destroyed lives and property.
Mr Mensah said his outfit would soon embark on the inspection of gas storage tanks to check for safety measures to protect lives and property in case of any outbreak of fire.
On the issue of acquiring fire certificates for their premises, as required by LI 1724 regulations 2003, Mr Mensah said it was important for them to obtain such certificates, and, therefore, urged them to impress upon their members to acquire them. 
He said it was equally important for them to be circumspect in the transferring of gas from one cylinder into another because “the practice has the potential of leading to fire outbreaks”.
In his interaction with executive members of hoteliers association in the region, Mr Mensah said “plans are far advanced to prosecute defaulting companies and individuals who have failed to acquire fire certificates“.
Mr Mensah warned that defaulters would be severely dealt with within the confines of the laws when arrested.
The Regional Chairman of the gas dealers association, Mallam Bukari Amad, commended the ASFO for the initiative and gave the assurance that he would impress upon the members to provide adequate safety measures to reduce the menace of fire outbreak.