ADO1 John Essel, the Municipal Fire Safety Officer, in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality, has educated the public on measures to be taken on the part of civilians when there’s a fire outburst.
In an exclusive interview with Denkyiraman TV, ADO1 Essel explained that before the arrival of fire firefighters, individuals can take some actions to calm the fire down,
“Fire outbreaks move in three stages, which are the recipient, middle and decay stages.
At the recipient stage, the individual after prompting the fire service, should also shout for help around the vicinity. The individual should make sure to switch off the main switches around to prevent widespread electrocution. There’s a need for an Individual to also learn the use of a fire extinguisher during this process for calmness”, he explained.
Mr John Essel continued that fire extinguishers come in different types but the two basic types which are a must-have in every home are the dry chemical powder extinguisher and carbon dioxide fire extinguisher.
“The two types of extinguishers are used to calm down fire but the difference is based on the dry chemical extinguisher leaving traces due to the powder and can be applied even when the main switches are on. The Carbon dioxide however leaves no traces but could be electrocuted with direct contact with water, therefore one should ask questions and be educated on an extinguisher before usage”, he added.
ADO1 John Essel advised that fire extinguishers must be available in every home, individuals can walk in the municipal fire offices to ask for it and also be educated on its usage.
He concluded that although the individual has a part to play in the calmness of fire before the arrival of firefighters, one should not try to use all their efforts and strength to off the fire completely as that may also cause more harm and damage.
