In an interview with Channel One TV on Friday, May 9, ADO I Derrick Elorm Adzokpa from the GNFS Public Relations Department expressed strong concerns over the issue, describing it as a serious threat to emergency response efforts.

“The prank calls are killing us,” Adzokpa said, explaining that false alarms clog vital communication lines and can delay responses to genuine emergencies.

While the Service recorded a 31.52% reduction in prank calls during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year—thanks to intensified public education—Adzokpa stated that the issue remains significant.

He emphasized the gravity of the matter: “Sometimes, when there’s an emergency and you call 112 or 192, and the call doesn’t go through, it’s likely because someone else is on the line—and that could be a prank call. This could prevent individuals in genuine emergencies from receiving the help they need.”

To alleviate the problem, Adzokpa encouraged the public to use alternative emergency numbers—0302 772 446 and 0299 340 383—if the primary hotlines are busy, assuring that these lines are actively monitored and connect directly to dispatchers.

He urged Ghanaians to act responsibly and use emergency lines only in real crisis situations. “Even one prank call can cost lives,” he warned.

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Between January and March this year, the service received 131,862 prank calls—a significant reduction from the 192,545 recorded in 2024.

The GNFS attributes this decline to intensified public education campaigns aimed at discouraging prank calls and sensitizing the public to the dangers such calls pose.

According to the GNFS, prank calls continue to delay real emergency responses, divert critical resources, and, in some cases, cost lives and property.

Officials say the drop in fake calls is a clear indication that increased public awareness is yielding results.

The service applauded citizens for their growing cooperation and responsible use of the emergency line.

It also encouraged the public to continue calling early and responsibly in genuine emergencies to ensure quick response times and effective interventions.

The GNFS reaffirmed its commitment to further reducing prank calls through ongoing education and community engagement.

The incidents, which overstretched the operations of the Service, happened between January and November 2023.

This was revealed at the Thanksgiving Service of the Service’s 60th Anniversary Celebration, where senior officers who just retired were awarded for their selfless contributions to the Service.

Mr. Julius Kuunuor, Chief Fire Officer (CFO), said the prank calls had put the rescuers’ lives in danger and created room for waste of fuel.

“When we engage in prank calls, we put incident responders at risk and waste fuel as well,” he said.

Mr. Kuunuor urged the public to desist from such practices because the Service would not entertain such deviant behaviours in 2024 and beyond.

Fire outbreaks also reduced by 4.92 percent for the first eleven months of 2023, with 5256 incidents recorded as compared to 5,530 incidents recorded in the same period in 2022.

The Chief Fire Officer attributed the reduction to the extensive Public Fire Safety Education carried out nationwide.

“Through the timely intervention of the Service, property worth millions of cedis was salvaged,” he said.

The Service intends to build clinics in all the regions and will start the construction of a Fire Trauma Hospital to provide adequate healthcare for personnel and the public this year.

It is in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with some universities to train Fire personnel in the relevant fields from undergraduate to postgraduate programs.

The University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), and the University of Energy and Natural Resources are being engaged for the training.

“The Service, in collaboration with the Government, is in the process of procuring Fire Appliances and Equipment, including Dual Purpose Tenders, Water Tankers, Rapid Intervention Vehicles, and Utility Vehicles and Command Vehicles in 2024,” Mr. Kuunuor said.

The new appliances will replace the obsolete fire appliances at the Fire Stations and also ensure the opening of more Fire Stations to improve response time.

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Samini said some unscrupulous persons take delight in keeping the emergency toll-free numbers buzzing for absolutely no reason.

He said in a tweet that, he received the complaint from his associate who works with the Ambulance Service, a situation he described as very annoying.

The legendary artiste cautioned Ghanaians to stop prank calls and report any culprits who do that to the police.

His revelation comes at a time when the security service is championing a #SeeSomethingSaySomething initiative to fight terrorism.

See Samini’s tweet below

In a statement, the Ministry said the majority of the over 10,000 calls received at the emergency call centre the ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign has turned out to be pranks.

“Preliminary checks at the emergency call centre indicate that in the first 30 hours following the launch of the campaign, over 10,000 calls have been made to the centre, of which majority have been prank calls and calls to verify the operationality of the call line,” parts of the statement read.

The development the statement added has culminated in long call queues and delayed response to calls made to the centre.

In view of this, the Ministry has urged all and sundry to desist from such acts as it undermines the ability of the law enforcement agencies to actively respond to actual crises.

The campaign is geared toward acquiring information from the public on any suspicious activities of terrorists in the country.

The campaign is in line with the whole-of-society approach that underpins the national security strategy aimed at encouraging citizens to report suspicious persons or activities to enable the state to respond effectively to the threat of terrorism and violent extremism.

Below is the statement of caution: