NO FIRE HYDRANTS AT TEMA MAJOR MARKETS (PAGE 18, DEC 11, 2010)

IT has been found that the four major markets in the Tema Metropolitan area have no water hydrants and therefore stand the risk of being razed in case of a fire outbreak.
The markets, located at Tema community One, Tema Newtown, European Market at Community Two and the Ashaiman main market, do not also have big openings at the entrances to enable fire vehicles to enter during fire outbreaks.
This was observed when a team of fire personnel from the Tema Regional Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Electricity Company of Ghana, Tema Region, went the markets to locate the hydrants to service them for any eventuality.
At the European Market at Tema Community Two, it was detected that a building had been situated on the only hydrant.
The owner had been given a permit by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly to construct a storey building on the site.
The Ashaiman and the Tema Newtown markets did not have water hydrants at all and the Tema main market at Community One had its two hydrants encroached on with shops and sheds.
All the markets had loose and naked electrical wiring, posing danger to the patrons of the market.
The Tema Regional Fire Officer, Mr Clifford Tetteh Adams, who led the team, blamed the various assemblies for overlooking the safety aspects of the markets.
He said the GNFS had written several letters to the assemblies to co-operate with them to demolish structures which had been erected on the hydrants.
Mr Adams said the fire tenders could carry a certain quantity of water which will need to be replenished after a short period of use.
Mr Adams called on the assemblies to expand the entrances for vehicles to enable the GNFS to put out fires effectively, even with its resources available.
He stated that after a reminder to the assemblies, the GNFS will make revolutionary moves to demolish the structures to save life and property in times of fire.
Mr Adams said with the harmattan setting in, the weather was ripe for fires.
The team mounted a campaign to educate the traders, especially those involved in the operation of chop bars in the markets.
The traders were educated on how to prevent fires by ensuring that their gas bottles were sealed safely without leakage and also desist from engaging in illegal electricity connections.
The Operations Engineer of ECG in Tema, Mr Francis Atsyatsya, and Mr Emmanuel Appoe of the Protection and Control Unit of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) said they were not happy with what they saw at the markets.
Mr Appoe said the ECG will embark on an operation to disconnect the wires and disclosed that all those found guilty would be made to pay for power consumed over the period.
He explained that illegal connections were done without expert advice and therefore posed danger to lives and property and appealed to the traders to desist from the practice and apply for meters from the ECG.
The Public Relations Officer of the Tema GNFS, Mr Timothy Affum, said the exercise will continue in other industries to ensure that they had fire certificates and were operating within the rules.