The National Sports Council (NSC) on Monday organized a one-day workshop on fire prevention and control for 30 workers of the Council at the Sekondi Sports Stadium at Essipong.
Mr Smart Abbey, Safety Officer of the Council, in an address said the Council has embarked on a nationwide in-service training of its staff in fire detection and prevention to enable them protect its properties, equipment to make the various stadia safe from fire.
He said the in-service training was embarked upon after feasibility studies that was carried out by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the programme would be implemented in phases to enable staff of Council know their roles in fire detection and prevention.
Ms Roberta Aggrey-Ghanson, Western Regional Fire Safety Officer advised the public to desist from placing combustible materials including newspapers and stationary close to ignition sources of power since they can provide "Fuel for fire to spread in case of fire outbreak at the ignition sources".
She said since the amount of "Fuel or fire load" would determine the extent that fires spread, there was the need for the public to guide against keeping large quantities of combustible materials in their homes.
Ms Aggrey-Ghanson advised the people to stop buying second hand gas cylinders and cookers because they may not be in good condition and might cause fire outbreaks.
She said most domestic fires were caused by leakages and therefore, gas cylinders should be tested for leakages every week and should be properly maintained and painted.
Ms Aggrey-Ghanson said many people put filled gas cylinders in the booth of vehicles in a horizontal manner instead of in an upright position and noted that such a position could cause tension in the cylinders and subsequently, an explosion.
She expressed concern that the fire extinguishers at the Sekondi Sports Stadium have not been serviced since their instalment while some have no nitrogen and therefore asked the authorities at the stadium to address the problem because the extinguishers should be serviced every six months and also asked that reflective fire notices be put at the stadium.
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