Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has expressed worries over the increasing rate of domestic fire outbreaks in the Northern Region. According to the GNFS, most of the fire incidents recorded in the Northern Region are domestic, caused by illegal electrical wiring, negligence, and unstable electricity among others.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Certified Electrical Wiring Professionals in Tamale by the Energy Commission of Ghana, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade 1 Rev. Peter Nelson Dokpuie said the Northern Region alone recorded a total of 391 fire cases in 2022 as against 361 in 2021. He said out of this number 205 were domestic representing 52.4 percent.
“It was noticed that in general, the rate of fire incidents increased each year. This increase is attributed to several factors such as the rate of population growth and industrialization, unstable electricity, urbanization, negligence, illegal electrical connection, and several other factors; These fires are categorized into the domestic, industrial, institutional, commercial, bush but domestic fires are always on the rise” he said.
Rev. Dokpuie said this increase was alarming and called for a collective approach to curb the trend.
He urged the electricians to pay attention to adequate early detection and warning systems such as smoke detectors, call point serene, and heat detectors to ensure safety. He also urged them to always ensure proper wiring and the use of standard electrical materials.
“As a co-partner in the building and construction industry I want to draw the attention of my brothers and sisters who are graduating today that all that they have learned, all that they have acquired, all the experiences they have gathered should be put to good use. The more they do proper and diligent work the more the GNFS is safe and our economy is equally benefiting” he said.
Senior Officer of Electrical Wiring at the Energy Commission of Ghana in the Northern Region John Nilimor Bukari said the purpose of the certification was born out of issues of a lot of fires that have been occurring in the facilities and as a regulator, it is their mandate to train and certify these electricians in accordance to the law (Electrical Wiring Regulation L.I. 2008).
He said as part of the law these electricians are supposed to use the quality or standard materials approved only by the Ghana Standard Authority.
“Since ten years of implementation of the law, the commission has so far trained and certified over 14,000 professionals across the country who are supposed to engage in electrical wiring and use approved electrical materials for wiring,” he said.
Mr. Nilimor said this effort of the commission is gaining ground because most of these certified electricians no longer use fake or low-standard materials.
“To ensure they stick to the law or the regulation we monitor their activities every quarter, we visit all the districts in which these certified electricians work. What we do is that we go to the NEDCo office and pick up applications forms that they have worked on or claimed to have wired and we visit the facilities to make sure that what they stated on the form is indeed what they have done” he said.
Mr. Nilimor however, warned of sanctions against any certified electricians who will indulge in illegal electrical connection or wiring in the country.
Some of the newly certified professionals have expressed satisfaction and thanked the Energy Commission for the training. According to them, they will not compromise their integrity and will always ensure the proper use of standard materials for wiring.
Meanwhile, 250 professionals were certified in the Northern Region for 2023.
