Build houses with exits, ‘not fire traps’ – GNFS Officer urges public at International Tea Day event

‎Station Officer 1 Emmanuel Karbo of the Ghana National Fire Service in the Upper East Region has cautioned the public against constructing buildings without proper escape routes, describing such structures as “fire traps.”
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‎He made the remarks during the A1 Radio/AquaBolg Natural Mineral Water International Tea Day Celebration, where GNFS officers educated patrons on fire safety and emergency preparedness.
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‎Addressing participants, SO1 Karbo used a striking analogy to highlight the danger of poor building design.
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‎“Look in the animal kingdom, bandicoots have exits. We have rats, they have exits. But the kind of building that we are building today, we are building houses without exits,” he said.
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‎He explained that many people die in house fires because they cannot escape due to the lack of multiple exits.
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‎“A standard self-contained house must have three exits. If you have only one entrance and one exit, I am telling you today that it is a fire trap and not a house,” he warned.
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‎SO1 Karbo urged prospective builders to submit their building plans to the GNFS Fire Safety Office for review before construction begins.
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‎“When you are building a house, you need to pass the building plan to the fire service. We will look at the plan and advise you whether it meets safety standards or not,” he said.
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‎He noted that investing in a building only to be trapped during a fire outbreak defeats the purpose of homeownership.
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‎The officer also stressed the importance of functional emergency alarm systems, smoke detectors, and clear exit signage in homes and offices.
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‎“People think these are for decoration, but they are not. The emergency alarm system will alert you at the early stage of a fire so everyone can evacuate as early as possible,” he said.
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‎He explained that smoke detectors identify fire at its early stages, giving occupants time to escape before it spreads. Karbo added that all buildings should have designated assembly points where occupants gather after evacuation for a roll call to ensure everyone is safe.
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‎SO1 Karbo further cautioned against over-securing homes with metal grills and burglar-proofing that block emergency exits.
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‎“In the case of an emergency, you are not able to escape from the building. That is very bad. Thieves come when you are inside the house, and they will force you to open doors. But with fire, you cannot escape. The fire will burn you with your properties,” he said.
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‎The GNFS used the platform of the International Tea Day celebration to engage the public on preventive measures, emphasizing that fire safety begins at the planning stage of any building project.
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