GNFS ordered to audit major markets — To facilitate rescue operations

THE Interior Minister, Mr Cletus Avoka, has asked the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to undertake an audit of all the major markets in the country to facilitate rescue and safety operations during fire outbreaks.
In addition, he requested the leadership of the service to draw strategic maps of roads and routes leading to accident-prone areas to enable the personnel to avoid delays during rescue operations.
Mr Avoka issued the instructions when he paid a working visit to the headquarters of the GNFS in Accra on Wednesday.
“The days of salvaging situations when the harm had already been done are over”, the Interior Minister told the leaders of the service. He said as officers their professionalism would be measured by their ability to be innovative, proactive and creative in handling the complex issues.
Equally importantly, he said, was the implementation of the Fire Precaution (Premises) Regulations, 2003 (LI 1724), which, he noted, was to ensure that public places in the country were safe.
Mr Avoka said the government was aware of the numerous challenges facing the service and commended the Chief Fire Officer, directors, officers and personnel of the service for their sustained efforts in fire prevention and control, in spite of the inadequate equipment and logistics.
He, however, gave the assurance that the new administration would strive to improve the conditions of the service and the general wellbeing of personnel.
Currently, he said, the government was making efforts to procure fire engines from India and additional equipment, especially turn-table ladders from the United States for their operations.
The Chief Fire Officer, Mr Felix Kwame Ferkah, gave an overview of the status of the service and highlighted some of the challenges of the service.
He said the service was now carving a new name for itself with regards to rescue operations and as a result had expanded its rescue operations to include Road Traffic Collision Extrication.
He said that the service had at its disposal 112 fire engines and indicated that the ideal situation should have been that each of the 136 stations would, at least, have two of the fire engines and an ambulance.
Ferkah said the equipment at their disposal was woefully inadequate for fire fighting and other emergencies.
On their projections for the service, Mr Ferkah said that the service was redrafting their conditions of service, procuring adequate protective clothing for operational fire-fighters, fencing service lands in the regions to protect them from encroachment, and developing those lands to improve residential and office accommodation for personnel.