DO1 Emmanuel Bonney
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has announced the rollout of its Automated Fire Compliance and Safety System (AFCAS) for the online application of fire permits, certificates and fire equipment tagging.
In a statement issued last Friday and signed by the Head of Public Relations, Divisional Officer One Emmanuel Bonney, the Service said the platform is now open to the public as part of its digital transformation agenda and in compliance with the Fire Precaution (Premises) Regulations, 2003 (L.I. 1724), as amended by L.I. 2249.
Under Regulations 1 and 2 of L.I. 1724 as amended, all premises in the country, whether commercial or residential, are required to obtain a fire permit before construction begins and a fire certificate upon completion. Regulations 11 and 12 further mandate that all fire alarms, fire equipment and fire extinguishers be affixed with official GNFS tags for inspection.
According to the GNFS, the AFCAS platform is designed to improve service delivery, reinforce regulatory compliance and strengthen enforcement, monitoring and administration of fire safety nationwide.
The Service has therefore directed all vehicle owners, residential and commercial property owners and all building owners or occupiers to submit applications through the AFCAS portal, which is now live at afcas.gnfs.gov.gh.
It also advised the public to purchase only fire extinguishers and equipment bearing official GNFS AFCAS tags obtained from licensed Fire Protection Contractors.
The GNFS further directed procurement departments of property managers, commercial operators, institutions, businesses and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to engage only GNFS-AFCAS licensed contractors for the installation of fire alarms, extinguishers and other safety equipment. All installed equipment must be tagged with an official GNFS-AFCAS QR code.
All newly imported fire equipment will be tagged at the point of entry, while owners of existing equipment have up to six months from the date of publication to arrange for GNFS-authorised inspectors to tag their equipment.
The Service said an information brochure with guidelines on the application process is available on the platform, and urged stakeholders to review it before applying.
A Daily Guide Report