President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to Ghanaians to exercise patience with the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) as government works to improve its response capacity and service delivery.
The Sevice has over the years suffered heavy public backlash over its late response to emergencies and challenges in combating fire outbreaks as well as providing other rescue services.
However, President Mahama acknowledged the frustrations of the public in times of emergency but emphasized the need for collective support, increased investment and logistical enhancements to enable the Service perform more effectively.
“Fire service needs fire equipment urgently and let me say, I empathise with my sister here. When the fire service arrives late, people get angry but they just don’t have the fire tenders,” the president stated after security agencies under the Interior Ministry presented GHS1.02 to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares).
The President further stated that a significant number of the Service’s fire tenders have broken down due to years of neglect.
According to him, the Service has received little to no support over the past decade, a situation his administration plans to urgently address.
“The last set of fire tenders were bought almost 9 years, 10 years ago from [late] Prof. Mills’ time. There’s not been a retooling [and] most of those tenders are broken down so I urge the public to be patient with our fire officers, they are working under difficult circumstances.
“And so one of the priorities will be to get some new fire tenders for you,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, President Mahama disclosed that his goverment has earmarked One Billion Ghana Cedis to retool the security services under the Ministry of Interior to enhance their operational efficiency and response capabilities.
Source: /Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Abdul-Hanan Adam
