Oti Region residents have received a warning from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) regarding careless handling of household fires and careless bush burning, especially since the nation is currently experiencing its dry season.
The GNFS noted that Oti is primarily an agricultural area, with a large number of people burning bush to clear land for farming without permission.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer II (ACFO II), Mr. Prince Billy Anaglate, the GNFS’s Oti Regional Commissioner, warned the public and stated that a mental shift was required to protect farm products, people, and property.
However, ACFO II Anaglate expressed concern that locals were unable to recognize that the region was transitioning from a rural to a semi-urban setting and to adapt to change in an interview conducted yesterday in Dambai, the regional capital of Oti, against the backdrop of bushfires and the hamattan season.
Strongly, he noted and appealed to the people to support the GNF in preventing fires and expressed worry that at the end of 2022, a total of 95 fire outbreaks were recorded. Frankly, and to be precise, out of the number, 83 were bushfires and 12 were domestic fires.
Furthermore, ACFO II Anaglate informed them that, in the interim and as a result of deliberate actions taken by the Regional Fire Command to reduce fire outbreaks, 73 fire outbreaks were reported at the end of 2023—a 21.1 percent decrease from the year prior.
In addition, he said that the GNFS had taught many people about the importance of protecting homes, lives, and the environment from fires of this kind.
Specifically, he stated during the briefing that volunteer firefighters from several communities have been recruited by the Regional Fire Command to assist in preventing all those fire outbreak features. This has been done in collaboration with the chiefs of the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDA) and opinion leaders.
However, to deter future incidents and their features, Mr. Anaglate asked all MDAs to penalize offenders and strictly enforce bushfire ordinances.
