Fire personnel urged to work as at team

Brigadier John Bosco Ewiram Guyiri, acting Chief Fire Officer, has called on personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to work assiduously to prevent fire outbreaks in the country to win public confidence.

He said the Government was determined to procure equipment and other protective materials from America, Belgium and India to help boost their work.

Brig. Guyiri was addressing personnel of the GNFS at a durbar organized in his honour in Kumasi on Friday, as part of his three-day tour of the Ashanti Region.

He appealed to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies throughout the country to support fire service personnel to educate the people on fire prevention, and to provide fire stations with water hydrants and other facilities to enhance fire fighting.

Brig. Guyiri advised fire personnel against drunkenness, malingering, absenteeism and other practices that would tarnish the image of the service, and assured them of training and refresher courses to update their skills and knowledge to enable them to work efficiently and effectively.

The Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Philip Aheng-Mensah, said the Region recorded 546 fire outbreaks from January to September this year destroying property worth GH¢2,492.

He said the personnel had stepped up their educational campaign to sensitize the public on fire prevention.

ACFO Aheng-Mensah said the number of personnel at the 22 stations in the Region was 587 and appealed to the Chief Fire Officer to post more staff to the area.

He appealed to the authorities to provide fire stations at Kuntenase, Bekwai, Fomena, New Eduiase, Nkenkasu and Agona with fire tenders.

Source: GNA