Indian fire tenders to douse Ghana flames

Accra, Feb 2: Ghana, which was scorched by nearly 4,000 fires last year, hopes to battle the flames with 75 new fire tenders from India.With increasing number of fire outbreaks over the country resulting in loss of lives and property, Chairman of the Fire Service Council, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, has told parliament that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is expecting 75 new fire tenders to be supplied from India to improve the capacity of personnel to battle the fire menace.Alhaji Sorogho said that "all the necessary documentations on the order have now been made and we are only awaiting the arrival after which we intend to distribute them throughout the country".In the first week of this year, the authorities recorded 265 fire incidents in different parts of the country which attracted parliamentary debate on the issue.Both the ruling and the opposition members have expressed concern over these fire outbreaks that have occurred in markets, homes and companies.Alhaji Sorogho, who is also a member of parliament, said that "we are hoping to improve the equipment situation of the GNFS with an additional 75 new fire tenders from India. Hopefully, this will enable the fire service to meet the challenges of these fire outbreaks".Public Affairs Officer of the GNFS told IANS that last year a total of 3,932 fire outbreaks were recorded throughout the country. This is up by 699 from the previous year's 3,233 fire outbreaks.Alhaji Sorogho said the arrival of the fire tenders alone was not what is needed to fight the many fire outbreaks. "With the number of such incidents increasing, there is the need for more education on fire prevention," he added.He was hopeful that the arrival of the new fire tenders from India will boost the morale of the personnel as well as improve their efficiency.