Fire officers in the Ashanti Region have been given a two month ultimatum to reduce fire incidents in the region.

Chief Fire Officer, Albert Brown Gaisie who gave this directive says they should use all available means to get this achieved.

Five hundred and 69 fire outbreaks have been recorded between January and March in Ashanti region alone with domestic and commercial fires leading the pack with almost 200 cases.

Property worth about one million Ghana cedis were destroyed by fire over the period.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Alexander Ackon who described fire incidents in the region as alarming tasked personnel of the Fire Service to pay attention to preventive measures.

Dr. Gaisie who is on a 4-day tour of the region is unhappy with the rate of fire incidents in the Ashanti region.

He told Ashanti regional minister, Alexander Ackon, senior officers; including district commanders have been given performance task to bring down fire cases in the next two months.

“I have directed the Regional Commander that I expect nothing but the next two months, there should be absolute reduction in fire outbreaks in the region. That is the task; it’s a performance task I have given him. He and the district commander s and I’m meeting all the commanders. They must strategize. They are going to be on performance indicators. They should be able to reduce the occurrence of fire outbreak in this region by hook or crook”. Dr Gaisie directed.

Though the Chief Fire Offficer will not reveal the kind of punishment to be meted out to  fire officers who  fail to meet  the deadline,  he insists  he will continue to monitor progress of performance of fire officers in the region to ensure they live up to expectations.

Dr. Gaisie as part of his tour in the Ashanti region visited the Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu and later continued with a courtesy call on the Omanhene of Tepa, Nana AntwenawaAdusei  Ampem as he met fire officers in the district.

He is expected to cut sod for the construction of fire station and the first ever Command and Staff College in Africa to at Ejura. He will also commission newly constructed fire station at Bremang in Kumasi.

Meanwhile, Regional Fire Officer, Semekor Fiadzo says he and his team will adopt preventive measures targeting areas noted for fires.

“We are putting in a lot of strategies. We are going to intensify our public education and outreach. And we are tasking all the district officers to come out with a training program and educative program so that we synchronize it together into our main program and we are focusing on places that we encounter a lot fires”. Mr Fiadzo has said.