The authorities of the Ghana National Fire Service [GNFS] say the failure of the emergency numbers from the telecommunication networks is affecting the operations and image of the service and public safety in times of fire outbreak. According to the officials of the service, emergency numbers and codes given to them by the various telecom operators usually fail in times of emergency, as the public are not able to get through those codes. At a stakeholders meeting on how the service can respond effectively to distress calls, the Acting Chief Fire Officer, Albert Brown Gaisie expressed worry that the toll free line of the fire service, 192 is ineffective. He called on Vodafone Ghana to improve their services and also make reliable toll-free lines available and charged MTN and Tigo to also help the service with toll-free lines. In an interview with Asempa News, Mr. Brown Gaisie proposed the restoration of the public phone booth system to give the public easy access to phones in times of fire outbreaks. “Public phone booths must be located at strategic areas like Cape Coast, Kumasi and the Techiman-Kintampo where accidents usually occur,...The personnel cannot ignore the fact that the continuous power fluctuation cause fire outbreaks but it is difficult getting in touch with the Electricity Company of Ghana in times of fire outbreak...Lately we have been recording lots of fire outbreaks due to faults of ECG underground cables and transformer,” he said. Meanwhile data within the Accra and Tema metropolis show the service has 302 fire hydrants; with 188 serviceable and 114 unserviceable ones. The Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Water Company Limited failed to turn up for the stakeholders meeting. Story by Afia Amankwah Tamakloe/Asempa FM/Ghana