The new regulation is part of the Service’s grand plan to prevent or reduce the incidents of gas explosions especially during the process of offloading the product from tankers to onsite gas storage tanks.

[contextly_sidebar id=”JLae3I6wuXqI7FD8KxnmliNHqG9ogGO0″]The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglate, in an interview on Eyewitness News on Thursday, said the Service has noted with great concern that most of the explosions occurred at the point of offloading the product.

He decried the low level of safety adherence at some gas stations in the country, noting that having fire officers at the stations during the offloading process will ensure that the maximum fire safety measures are taken into account.

“Many of those gas explosions that we have had in previous years and even the recent one that we had, would have been prevented if the workers and people who mattered including attendants strictly adhered to safety measures… We are going to institute certain measures that will force them to strictly adhere to those things.”

“…because we have also realized in our investigations that many of those fires that occurred at the filling station, were as a result of they offloading the gas. We want to ensure that at the time any gas station wants to offload the gas, then a fire personnel should be there. If a fire personnel is there, then I believe we will ensure that the adherence to strict measures would be the situation, and that will prevent any future fire outbreak,” he said.

Mr. Anaglate further charged fuel station managers to adhere to the required safety practices to avoid endangering their lives and that of persons living around.

He said the fire service is in the process of clamping down on fuel stations that are operating in breach of the necessary safety requirements.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Institute for Public Policy Options, Dr. Charles Wereko Brobbey, has said the plan to have fire service personnel supervise offloading of gas is unnecessary and wasteful.

He instead called for strict enforcement of already existing laws in dealing with safety issues in the downstream petroleum sector.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Speaking in an interview with Citi News’ Anass Seidu, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Fire Service, Billy Anaglate, said they are currently investigating to ascertain the real cause of the fire.

[contextly_sidebar id=”vgqWJUpWmN8QCYJDAnPi9rgx9O1NZX6u”]“We are still investigating to know what exactly caused the fire. But our preliminary investigations pointed to electrical origin – that the fire might have actually been caused by an electrical fault within the premises, but we are still investigating to unravel the exact cause,” he added.

Records of the Maritime Authority – some dating back to 2002—were destroyed when fire gutted parts of the authority’s head office in Accra.

The fire, which mostly affected the finance department of the GMA, reportedly took place a day ahead of an Economic and Organised Crime Office’s (EOCO) forensic audit into the operations of the Authority.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a backup of what we lost, and the Authority has all this while been keeping records manually,” the Director-General of the GMA, Kwame Owusu, noted.

The police are currently investigating officials of the Authority over the fire.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The donation, according to him is to facilitate their work and help protect lives and properties of residents of the area.

He said it is part of his contribution to developing the community.

The items, valued at $60,000 include fire rescue belts, helmets, safety boots, safety trousers and coats.

They were presented to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in a short ceremony at the premises of the Bechem District Command.

Mr. Adjei and pledge to do more to strengthen the mutual partnership between residents and the GNFS.

Receiving the equipments, the Assistant Chief Fire Officer of the Brong Ahafo Regional Fire Command, James Owusu, appealed to residents in the area to pay attention to their safety in the wake of numerous fire outbreaks in the country.

He charged residents to invest more in the safety and protection of their properties from fire outbreaks.

He noted the equipment will facilitate and enhance their operation during fire outbreaks and promised to use the items for its intended purposes.

The Regional Assistant Chief Fire Officer commended the assembly and Mr. Eric Adjei for their role in equipping and resourcing the Fire Station to operate efficiently.

The Tano South District Chief Executive (DCE), Collins Offinam Takyi called for a collaboration between the assembly and the private sector for the development of the area.

“Government is creating an enabling environment for development and therefore collaboration with the private sector to create jobs opportunities and fill in the developmental gaps. It is therefore important to partner donors and philanthropist to help improve our district”, he observed.

Hon. Offinam Takyi disclosed that plans were far advanced to secure an ambulance for the Bechem Hospital to facilitate healthcare delivery.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to her, it was unfortunate that some residents run out of patience and take the law into their hands to harass fire officers and vandalise fire tenders in such situations.

ACFO Simpson made this known to journalists when she visited Gomoa Buduburam and Winneba stations, after a mob attacked the personnel of the Service for not arriving promptly to a fire scene at the Gomoa Buduburam camp.

She said the residents went on a rampage insulting officers and vandalizing a fire tender.

She said the destruction caused has rendered the tender dysfunctional.

ACFO recounted that it took the timely intervention of the police to halt the situation.

She has therefore called for co-operation and mutual understanding between the citizenry and Fire personnel in times of fire outbreaks.

She noted the personnel were working with vehicles which may develop faults unexpectedly when there is an outbreak of fire, adding that traffic congestion on highways also accounted for delayed reporting to fire scenes.

She assured the public that the GNFS works in its interest and is committed to ensure the safety of lives and property.

ACFO Simpson however added that the cause of the fire at the Gomoa Buduburam camp was being investigated, although the preliminary report suggested an electrical fault.

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Source: GNA

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After the June 3 disaster, the National Petroleum Authority said it had put in effective measures to enforce and tighten relevant regulations on the building of fuel stations in residential areas.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mhrwORG3PYmSkOFbwjgATPxEMU4ZWikJ”]Labadi gas explosion, which has claimed 10 lives so far, has left many people, including President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo, calling for a strict enforcement such regulations to avert any future disaster.

Preliminary investigations have pointed to a leakage at the station which led to the explosion according to the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglate.

Speaking to Citi News Mr. Anaglate said enforcing strict safety measures will go a long way to prevent such disasters.

“It is not about the siting of the filling stations; it is about the lack of maintenance or safety measures put in place. If you are able to ensure that safety measures are put in place and are maintained, you have reduced the hazards associated to the barest minimum. So it is not about the siting.”

Mr. Anaglate indicated that the Fire Service had in place a system to train staff of filling stations but he noted that without the training, such staff “wouldn’t have what it takes to identify hazards within the premises, let alone knowing what mitigating factors to put in place when they identify the hazard.”

“So those people may be responsible for some these preventable fires that might be caused. It is not about the siting of the filling station,” he stated.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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It said, its trained officers will educate farmers in the country as well as the general public on safety fire measures and effective fire management skills.

The Deputy Public Relations Officer for the Ghana National Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglate told Citi News in an interview that the Service had noted that the advent of the dry harmattan season may spark fire outbreaks hence its adequate preparations to forestall the fires.

He said the Service as part of its measures to tackle incidents of fire this yuletide has trained volunteers across the country to education and health deal with fire outbreaks.

“What we have done so far is to train a lot of volunteers to for in those communities that we do not have fire stations and we train them also to serve as educators in the communities. We have also trained them to ensure that they monitor the activities of the farmers because we know in this period that a lot of people try to use fires to clear their lands; which has led to a lot of fire outbreaks.”

He said the public need to take stock of all their electrical appliances at home and observe all fire safety regulations in their homes and offices.

He said the GNFS was hopeful of a fire-free Christmas if such measures are adhered to.

The Christmas and New Year season in Ghana has recorded some of the country’s major fire incidents and quite frequent occurrences each year during the period.

These incidents have led to the loss of many lives and properties but according to the Fire Service, they are prepared to deal with any such incidents this year.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The Head of Corporate Communications at the GWCL, Stanley Martey, explained that this was because the Trade Fair has not paid outstanding water bills.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Martey said the disconnection has “been for more than a year because they haven’t paid their bills. They have defaulted in payments for a very long time so we disconnected them.”

He also indicated that the Fire Service should have been well aware of the water situation because the Trade Fair had opted to sink a borehole instead of paying their outstanding bills.

“Instead of them paying their bills so that we would have them reconnected, they sunk a borehole in the Trade Fair. Now that the Trade Fair is using a borehole, is the fire service not aware that the borehole is not enough to combat fire anytime there is a fire outbreak?”

Stop the blame game

Mr. Martey also expressed his frustration at what he deemed as a blame game the Ghana Fire Service is indulging in.

After the Fire Service’s Director of Public Affairs, Billy Anaglate, revealed that the absence of water in the hydrants forced the Service to move all the way to Makola in Accra to refill the fire trucks to put the fire out, Mr. Martey said the Fire Service was only using GWCL as a soft target.

“It is not proper at this time to be laying blame and I think that it is high time the fire service stopped blaming the Ghana water company limited anytime they fail in their responsibilities.”

“The softest area to blame is the Ghana Water Company limited and I think it is wrong. I think it is very bad. We have discussed this issue several times and the Fire Service is always quick to lay blame on water not being in the hydrant,” he said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Empty hydrants due to Trade Fair’s indebtedness – GWCL appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr Prosper Douglas Bani, Minister of the Interior, who made the call said Ghana’s firefighters are one of the best trained and best-equipped on the African continent.

[contextly_sidebar id=”sEq0uQPiw6fErhiDKxoWimXXnTWPXqUa”]He said, “it is the hope of the Government to make the Service  the best on the continent and as such, Government is going to help put up the new Fire Academy and training School at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Brong-Ahafo Region, which is intended to train Firemen in the country and others from our sister ECOWAS countries”.

The Minister commended the Command of the GNFS for being innovative in their efforts to ensure that the Service offers Rescue, Evacuation and fire Protection services to the people of Ghana.

“We have followed and monitored the various initiatives, innovations and creativity ventures which the service has embarked upon in the recent past.

“It is therefore not surprising that the public has come to admire and appreciate the improved professionalism exhibited by the GNFS,” he added.

The 106 graduands, consisting 31 females and 75 males, were the last batch of personnel who have spent between 12 and 14 years on their respective ranks, thus, the graduation paves way for them to join the Officer Corps of the Service.

It also paves way for other Officers who have acquired Tertiary Certificates to also go through the cadet programme in the year ahead.

Mr Bani also commended them for the laudable Home Fire Safety Certification Project embarked upon by the Command of the Service, which is aimed at reducing home fires in the country.

He said the project which is being undertaken under a Public private Partnership Agreement, would go a long way to ensure that families do not lose their lives and property to fires.

He, therefore, pledged the Ministry’s support to the Service to develop its human resource and equipment by providing personnel, training, necessary equipment and other logistical support to make the Service more effective in delivering fire and rescue services in Ghana.

“The Government will continue to enhance the logistical base of the Service to enhance its operational preparedness. In this direction, Government has granted approval to the Service to recruit personnel to augment its manpower strength,” he added.

The minister noted that globalization has led to the world developing fast technologically and implored the GNFS to take advantage and design training programmes which take cognizance of modern trends in fire prevention and management.

Awards were presented to four deserving graduands. The Overall best award went to Cadet Officer Ebenezer Kwesi Andrews, Reverend Emma Esi Riverson, received the Commandant Award, Officer Cadet Charlotte Annor received Foot drill Award, and Officer Cadet Theophilus Nii Okaija Ayibontey received the Academics Award.

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Source: GNA

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The officer in question, Eric Ansah, the Municipal Commander at the Techiman Fire Station, is believed to have attempted to rape his 27-year-old subordinate on Friday at her residence.

The officer is alleged to have forced the woman to give in to his demands with threats of workplace victimization and the lady appeared to consent but ended up biting him in the penis.

Responding to the allegations, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglate told Citi News, the Fire Service could not confirm or deny the allegations.

“For now I can’t really say if the story is true or false. For us to determine whether the story is true or not was why the Chief Officer has instructed the Brong Ahafo Regional Commander to quickly suspend the Municipal Commander that has been mentioned in this alleged story,” he said.

Prince Billy Anaglate however said the Eric Ansah will remain under suspension pending investigations.

According to him, the Chief Fire Officer “has also asked the Regional Commander to liaise with the lady and the family of the lady and to also find out whether the story has been reported to the police and that they should also constitute an investigation into this alleged story.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Woman bites fireman’s penis to avoid rape appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the protection of the pipeline should be given the same priority as the maritime domain of the Gulf of Guinea because, the recent damage to the pipeline negatively affected countries that depended on it for gas, especially Ghana.

The West African Gas Pipeline in 2007 suffered a catastrophic loss of pressure as a result of damage by a ship’s anchor.

The incident occurred before the commissioning of the gas pipeline.

In August 2012 however, there was another damage to the pipeline by an unidentified ship.

Mr. Woyongo made the call at the West African Gas Pipeline Safety Workshop in Accra.

He noted that “this regional infrastructure when well managed and enhanced will play a major role in the economy of our country for many years to come.”

The Minister added that with ECOWAS aspiring to bridge the social and economic barriers within the sub-region, “this project is the most important catalyst that we should proudly protect and nurture.”

The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah on his part called for a review of existing protection efforts and a drastic change in the way things are done to ensure a coordinated approach in addressing threats to the pipeline.

He called for concrete ideas to safeguard the integrity of the pipeline.

Mr. Buah mentioned a number of risks and threats that the WAGPL is exposed to including; piracy, unlawful fishing practices such as the use of explosives and sea bottom trolley.

In a speech read on his behalf, the sector Minister urged ECOWAS countries to forge ahead to ensure the maritime security of the pipeline and other infrastructure are protected.

By: Afiba Anyanzua Anyanzu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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