Municipal Fire Commander, DOIII Fredrick Agyei Gyimah has educated the public on the importance and significant impact of fire hydrants in every community and city.
The fire Commander noted clearly that fire hydrant is a crucial component that helps the firefighters during fire outbreaks.
He explained that the fire hydrant in Ghana is mostly buried beneath the ground and it serves as a source of backup water supply system when the fire tenders are out of water.
“The fire hydrant is very important such that, in case of inconveniences during fire outbreaks, it’s the best option to avoid replenishing. Every area in the country must have a fire hydrant situated to help emergency services”, he said.
DOIII Fredrick said the Dunkwa On-Offin municipality has 7 functioning fire hydrants in various locations, though the fire department faces challenges accessing some of them in certain locations as residents tend to have placed structures on them.
He added that education has been ongoing for people to know about the fire hydrant and how it works, but as some are naïve, others pay deaf attention to the education and go on to park damaged cars, dump refuse or place their shops on fire hydrants.
DOIII Gyimah also noted that it’s an offense to situate any object on a fire hydrant, and the fire department is working with the police department to arrest people who do not adhere to the rules.
“If anyone places an object on a fire hydrant, it could be that that same object is on fire and the firefighters may need the hydrant for emergency use, how do they access it while the object stays on it”, he asked.
DOIII Fredrick advised that every resident must protect the fire hydrant in their area to help prevent unfortunate situations during fire outbursts.
“Protecting fire hydrants is a shared responsibility and should be considered in every area.
People who find it at a place where they wish to have an activity should ask questions before making any further moves and not take it as mere metals” he advised.
