It was all smiles this morning when Vice President Bawumia commissioned new facilities for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
They included new two storey classroom block, one storey male and female dormitories and a dining hall and kitchen at the Fire Academy and Training School as well as two hydraulic platforms and rapid intervention vehicles.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Julius Kuunuor could not hide his excitement at the initiative which he said would go a long way to enhance effective service delivery.
For the past four years, he said the Fire Service has received 11 command vehicles, 10 pickup vehicles, four buses and 2,000 personal protective clothings from go expressed gratitude to the government and people of Ghana for their continuous support.
Vice President Bawumia admonished the Management, Officers and the rank and file workforce of the Ghana National Fire Service to take good care of these facilities and keep them in a state that will enable them to be put to effective usen.
In the coming years, he said “government intends to make the Fire Academy and Training School Africa’s best by providing training facilities such as Simulators which comprises of firefighting Simulators and Urban Search and Rescue Simulators to help keep firefighters abreast with modern firefighting and rescue skills.”
Apart from that, he indicated that “government is also considering the acquisition of Fire Fighting and Rescue Helicopters as a long term solution to some of the delivery challenges of Ghana National Fire Service.”
Meanwhile, he said government through the Interior Ministry and the Fire Service Council has also acquired plots of land in various parts of the Country to build additional training facilities for the ease and effective training of Serving Fire Officers as well as prospective Fire Officers.
“There are also plans to put up specialised health facilities to cater for the health needs of Firefighters in the country”, he revealed.
Dr. Bawumia, therefore, implored the Minister for the Interior to facilitate and expedite action on these projects for the benefit of the personnel.
Since the coming into office of the current Akufo-Addo-led NPP government in 2017, he said the Ghana National Fire Service has been given permission to recruit in excess of Seven Thousand (7000) Personnel to augment the manpower strength of the Service.
This, according to him, “demonstrates the government’s efforts of ensuring that, the Ghana National Fire Service has adequate personnel to expand its operations to cover all districts of the country.”
He took the opportunity to advise the Chief Fire Officer, Officers, and Men of the Ghana National Fire Service to remain steadfast and committed to its mandate of saving lives and property.
The firefighting profession the world over, is considered as one of the most sacred jobs owing to the extent of sacrifices and commitment required of you.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent