Alex King Nartey
The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Alex King Nartey, has made a mind-boggling revelation that Ghana’s firefighters do not have an insurance package to cater for any injuries sustained in the line of duty.
According to him, fire officers who suffer any form of injuries while battling fires or performing other emergency rescue operations are responsible for their own medical bills.
The affected officers are however, allowed to seek reimbursement afterwards, but this process, he said, can be lengthy and uncertain.
Mr. Nartey’s startling revelation comes in the aftermath of the raging fire outbreak at Adum in Kumasi over the weekend and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene’s outburst at the fire scene.
Dr. Amoakohene was seen in a viral video questioning the efforts of firefighters at the scene, resulting in a backlash for the Ghana National Fire Service and its approach to the incident.
The fire, which started in a commercial building near the Adum central business district, has resulted in huge losses, with many shops burnt to the ground as well as loss of valuable goods worth thousands of Ghana Cedis.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, as investigations continue into what might have caused it.
Mr. Nartey, in response to the Regional Minister’s criticism in an interview on GHOne, said the minister could have approached the situation differently, stating that a simple appreciation could have sufficed.
He argued that the Regional Minister’s decision to reprimand the firefighters publicly while being filmed was demoralising to the personnel who risk their lives every day to protect lives and property.
“We don’t have any health insurance. A simple thank you would have sufficed. You (Regional Minister) could have easily spoken to the Commanding Officer at that time and get updates, but to create a scene with a camera on you to demoralise the efforts of the firefighters is not right,” Mr. Nartey lamented.
He added that “When firefighters get injured at the scene of fire, they use their own resources to take care of themselves and later apply for refund to be paid to them. So, if at that moment you don’t have money, you would have to go and borrow money from people to be able to take care of yourself.”
Apology
Meanwhile, Mr. Nartey has apologised to Dr. Amoakohene for his comments in the aftermath of the Regional Minister’s reaction at the fire scene.
“I have great respect and admiration for the Honourable Minister, especially as he is blazing the trail as the youngest minister. My intentions might have been taken out of context since I was acting on the belief that the Honourable Minister could have used a different approach in dealing with the firefighters who had risked their lives for hours at the fire ground,” he said in a statement.
“I am sorry if my utterances offended the Honourable Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, but I still stand by my conviction that a much better approach could have been adopted,” he added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak