GCAA conducts fire drills at Kotoka airport

Mr. Willie Orhin, Deputy Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Tuesday said it was important to conduct routine fire drills to assess the preparedness of staff to such situations.

Speaking at a routine fire drill at its headquarters at the Kotoka International Airport, he said the drills, routinely conducted by the GCAA unannounced, were also to assess its emergency facilities such as exit routes and assembly points and also afford new staff, including those on industrial attachments and national service personnel, the opportunity to be abreast with GCAA’s emergency fire procedures.

He noted that the last drill had revealed some defects in the stairs of the emergency exit, which the management had taken steps to replace over the past months. He expressed satisfaction at the response of staff to the fire alarm saying “today’s response was excellent”.

Divisional Officer, Felix T. Nartey, of the Rescue and Firefighting Service (RFFS) of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), urged staff to respond to any fire alarm, even if they suspect it was triggered accidentally and to read the fire notices pasted on each floor in order to know what to do in case of fire.

He took the staff through the Dos and Don’ts when there is a fire outbreak and advised that they must vacate the building if they had to, and to use the stairs to reach a safer place instead of the lifts in case of fire.

Source: GNA