The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is issuing a caution to the public, especially individuals who have developed a habit of attacking personnel arriving late at fire scenes.
The latest caution follows confrontations and resistance faced by officers from the Asamankese Fire Station from residents of Apraman, a farming community around Kade, shortly after their arrival at a fire scene.
The personnel from the Asamankese Fire Station, who were to support their colleagues at the Kade station, made a distressed call for assistance as their tender was already dispatched.
However, the Asamankese tender also encountered a fault at Topreman, 2 km away from Apraman, forcing the firefighters to travel to the scene by private vehicle. This situation angered the residents, leading to an attack on the firefighters.
The timely intervention of ASP Ernest Danso of the Ghana Police Service defused the tension, enabling the firefighters to assess the situation and collaborate with the irate locals to successfully contain and control the blaze using buckets of water.
Four different residential units, comprising 9 bedrooms each, tragically lost their contents in the process. However, no casualties were recorded.
In an interview with Citi News on the issue, the Eastern Regional Fire Service Public Relations Officer D03 Ignatius Baidoo called on the public to refrain from attacking firefighters, emphasizing that they risk their lives to save lives and protect the properties of fire victims.
“The Kade Fire Station received a distressed call on February 8 due to a fire outbreak. Because the tender was out of commission, having broken down, it couldn’t respond to the fire scene. So a call was made to the Asamankese Fire Station. The distance from Kade to Asamankese is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes by car. However, the tender encountered a problem on its way. They had to take a private car to the scene. Our men were heckled, insulted, and even one of them was pushed down.”
“My appeal to the public is that when firefighters arrive at the scene, and if you perceive a delay due to misinformation or the fire service not receiving timely information, please allow them to assess the situation. Don’t insult us because we put our lives on the line to reach your properties and salvage the situation. We will continue to serve, and we will not relent in our efforts,” D03 Ignatius Kwamina Baidoo said.