The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has issued a stern warning against prank calls to the service, describing the act as a dangerous and costly menace that is adversely affecting its operations across the country.
Speaking on Dreamz FM’s The State of Our Nation, DOIII Bright Akobanyam Awonatey, Officer in Charge of the Fire Safety Inspectorate for the Upper East Region, recounted a troubling incident that occurred on April 1, 2026, when someone placed a prank call from Navrongo reporting a false fire outbreak, taking advantage of April Fools’ Day to deceive firefighters.
He revealed that at the time the call came in, their fire appliance in Navrongo was out of commission, forcing them to dispatch a unit from the Paga station — only to arrive at the scene and discover it was a hoax.
“Someone called from Navrongo and said there was a fire outbreak, only just because it was April Fools’ Day,” he said.
DOIII Awonatey noted that what made the incident even more disturbing was that the individual responsible was a mature person, from whom such behaviour was least expected.
He further revealed that Northern Ghana recorded a staggering 67,000 prank calls to the fire service in 2025 alone, a development the service described as deeply worrying.
He stressed that resources meant for genuine firefighting operations are being wasted responding to false alarms, putting lives and property at risk.
“Resources that are supposed to be channelled towards genuine firefighting are rather used to respond to prank calls,” he said.
DOIII Awonatey confirmed that the individual behind the Navrongo April Fools prank call was subsequently arrested and the matter referred to court, serving as a warning to others who may consider making false emergency calls to the service.
