Fire outbreaks: Not all fires can be quenched with water – Fire Service

Mr Alex King Nartey, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade One (ADO1) at the Public Relations Department of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has urged Ghanaians to have a better understanding of the operations of the fire service.

He emphasised that not all fire outbreaks can be extinguished with water alone.

Mr Nartey explained that there are certain situations where fire officers assess the fire scene and determine that water alone is not sufficient to extinguish the fire.

In such cases, they may request the assistance of the Electricity Company of Ghana to cut off power supply to the area before tackling the fire.

This does not mean that the fire officers arrived at the scene without water in their firefighting apparatus, he stressed.

He further highlighted that there are different types of fires, such as petrol, gas, and electric fires, adding that these require specific firefighting techniques.

For instance, in the case of a petroleum fire, even if it is raining, water may not be effective in extinguishing the fire completely, he said.

He cited the June 3 fire disaster at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in the Greater Accra Region.

Sometimes, the focus of the fire officers is to contain the fire to prevent it from spreading and causing further damage to lives and properties.

Mr Nartey urged people to refrain from jumping to unnecessary conclusions if they do not fully understand the workings of the fire service.

It is important to trust that the fire officers are employing the most appropriate methods to handle each specific fire incident, he concluded.

ADO1 Mr Alex King Nartey corrected the notion while speaking in an interview on the Ghana Yensom morning show hosted by Odehyeeba Kofi Essuman on Accra 100.5 FM on Friday July 7, 2023