The Ghana National Fire Service plans to blacklist certain areas due to attacks on firefighters responding to fire incidents.
This is in response to an incident on Saturday, February 10, 2024, in Konongo, where some residents attacked fire officers they accused of a poor response time.
The service’s Public Relations Officer ADO 1, Alex King Nartey, told YEN.com.gh that these measures were necessary to protect fire equipment and personnel of the service. He noted that the service already battled with inadequate resources and could not afford to risk its equipment in seemingly violent areas.
“The little in the system that we are trying to manage, if people are irresponsible and destroy it, it becomes a problem, and it is a clear indication that they don’t need our help or they don’t need our services.” Nartey said the service would compile a list of blacklisted areas, noting that there had been three incidents of attacks this week alone.
He also shared some evidence of attacks on fire service personnel and equipment. While a majority would suffer for the actions of a few persons, Nartey stressed that the communities needed to show good faith by reporting persons engaged in violence towards fire service personnel.
“If they are able to bring the people to group, then we know that they are cooperating but once the society or the leaders in this society are not saying anything or helping us bring out these people who were misbehaving, it means that the whole community will have to suffer for it.”
He further urged Ghanaians to be more appreciative of the sacrifices of firemen. Recently, four officers of the Ghana National Fire Service sustained various injuries after parts of a burning building collapsed on them at West Legon in Accra. Two of the injured personnel were in a critical condition after the Wednesday, January 24, 2024, incident.
