As attacks on firefighters increase, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has issued a warning about possible boycotts or blacklists of particular locations.
This declaration follows an incident that happened in Konongo on Saturday, February 10, when some fire officers were attacked by irate citizens for showing up late to a fire scene, which caused a fire engine to be destroyed.
In an interview with Citi TV, GNFS Public Relations Officer ADO 1, Alex King Nartey, revealed that antiquated equipment plays a major role in reaction time delays.
He emphasized that the bulk of fire engines are between the ages of 15 and 20, underscoring the concerning aspect of the circumstance.
“The unfortunate thing is that we always say that our logistics are very lacking. Most of our fire tenders are between 15, getting to 20 years old, a very worrying situation. As I speak to you now, Kasoa and Weija, their tender fighting is out of commission so if there’s any fire at Kasoa, the appliance will either have to move from Anyaa or Budumburam, that’s very bad.
“So it means that if there is any fire within the Budumburam area, and one of the Budumburam probably attended to that fire, it means we have to call a much further appliance probably from Dansoman to attend to it. So you see the little appliances that we have left, we are trying to salvage it.”
Mr. Nartey pushed for the construction of more fire stations in local areas and urged the government to purchase new apparatus.
To address the underlying problems creating these difficulties, he also urged Assembly members to actively engage in teaching locals about fire safety.
