Two firefighters are battling for their lives, following unprovoked attack on some personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) by aggrieved youth of Ntrobroso in the Ashanti region.
The latest incident occured last Wednesday February 23, 2022 when fire fighters from Nyinahin in the Atwima Mponua District of the Region where the officers were attacked with clubs and pelted with stones.
A release issued by the Ghana National Fire Service sighted by DGN Online signed Timothy Safo-Affum, Head of Public Relations dated February 24, 2022 said “The youth vented their anger on the fire fighters who had gone to the community to put out a fire set on excavator parked close to buildings belonging to illegal mining operators (Galamseyers) by Operation Halt Team when the fire had spread to surrounding properties.
“As a result of the attack, two firefigters suffered various degrees of injuries and the fire tender was vandalised.”
Management of the Service has therefore condemned the acts, warning that it will not countenance such unprovoked attacks on its personnel whose only crime was to assist people in distress.
In order to bring the perpetrators to book, management of GNFS has instructed the Ashanti Regional Police Command to laise with the appropriate agencies to ensure that the attackers are arrested to face full the rigors of the law to serve as deterrent to others.
The Ghana National Fire Service recently has bemoaned the persistent attacks on firefighters in the course of discharging their duties in the Ashanti Region.
“The Regional Command is not happy at the way fire tenders deployed to attend to fire outbreaks are pelted with stones without any provocation,” Divisional Officer (DO) III Desmond Ackah, the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO), GNFS said in a statement.
He said the unhealthy practice had led to the damage of some of the Service’s fire tenders, while some personnel were injured from such attacks.
The initial assault occurred at Moshie Zongo on Tuesday, July 27, 2022 as some fire tenders, on their way to control a fire outbreak, were repeatedly pelted with stones by some rowdy youth.
The personnel had to return to base as they left the scene for their safety given the resistance they encountered.
Two kids, trapped in their room, got burnt in the inferno and their remains had since been deposited at the morgue for autopsy.
“They accused us of moving to the area late, however, this is not the case since we acted swiftly in mobilizing fire tenders stationed at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Fire Unit to be there on time,” DO III Ackah explained.
“As a matter of fact, we went there fully equipped, and so the suggestion that there was no water in our tanks is also not true,” the PRO stressed.
“We have realized it is becoming a trend in the Region, especially in the Zongo communities,” he said, adding that such a development was dangerous, because of the destructive nature of fire.
Communities, where the GNFS personnel had suffered the unfortunate attacks in recent times, include Tafo-Zongo, Pankrono-Zongo and Anloga Junction.
The GNFS Regional Command, according to the PRO, had taken the matter up and would be petitioning the appropriate quarters for the right thing to be done.
By Vincent Kubi