You run the risk of losing, perhaps, everything you’ve laboured for in your lifetime, at home to fire, if you have cobwebs and rodents in your household.
And that is no joke! The Western Regional Fire Commander has encouraged households to grab their brooms and also conduct regular fumigation, or risk living to regret it.
ACFOll David Darko, is urging the public to regularly fumigate their homes to rid them of rodents and remove cobwebs from ceilings and corners, warning that these often-overlooked materials can trigger devastating fires.
According to him, “cobwebs commonly found in homes are combustible and can easily ignite if they come into contact with naked or exposed electrical wires, often damaged by rodents”.
This, he said, has the potential to spark fires even when no one in the household has lit a flame.
His caution follows a troubling spike in domestic fire incidents across the region.
Statistics from the Ghana National Fire Service reveal that in the first quarter of the year alone, the Western Regional Command responded to 233 fire outbreak, 66 of which were domestic, accounting for 28% of the total cases.
“As a region, we have had to respond to 233 incidents from January to date, 66 of the incidents were domestic fires representing about 28 percent while 52 incidents representing 22.3 percent were bushfires. This depicts how fires in dwelling places have become rampant over years. As a matter of fact, it would be very difficult to eradicate it completely if the mantle is left on firemen alone. It should be handled as a shared responsibility” he said
ACFO II Darko also highlighted the importance of gas safety, calling on the public to regularly replace the seals on their gas cylinders each time they refill.
He warned that worn-out seals are a common source of gas leaks, which could lead to explosions or fires.
He further encouraged residents to take fire safety education seriously and implement advice offered by fire officers during community outreach programs.
ACFO II Darko made these remarks at a mid-year thanksgiving service on July 23, which also saw the handing over and installation of Regional Chaplain as well as a send-off ceremony for outgoing Regional Chaplain.
DO III Emma Esi Riverson, the outgoing Regional Chaplain, urged her successor to promote unity and peaceful coexistence among the various religious faiths within the service.
She further advised her successor to incorporate prayers in the daily routine of fire personnel.
