His Excellency, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Bawumia has commissioned new facilities for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), in the early hours of Friday, December 23.

The facilities included two new storey classroom blocks, one storey male and female dormitories, a dining hall & kitchen at the Fire Academy and Training School. He also outdoored two hydraulic platforms and rapid intervention vehicles.

Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Mr Julius Kuunuor said the projects would go a long way to enhance effective service delivery.

According to him, the Fire Service for the past four years has received 11 command vehicles, 10 pickup vehicles, four buses and 2,000 personal protective clothings from go expressed gratitude to the government and people of Ghana for their continuous support.

Vice President Bawumia on his part charged Management, Officers and the rank and file workforce of the Ghana National Fire Service to take good care of the facilities and keep them in a state that will enable them to be put to effective usage.

“In the coming years, government intends to make the Fire Academy and Training School Africa’s best by providing training facilities such as Simulators which comprises of firefighting Simulators and Urban Search and Rescue Simulators to help keep firefighters abreast with modern firefighting and rescue skills,” he observed.

Dr Bawumia indicated, “government is considering the acquisition of Fire Fighting and Rescue Helicopters as a long term solution to some of the delivery challenges of Ghana National Fire Service.”

He added government through the Interior Ministry and the Fire Service Council has also acquired plots of land in various parts of the Country to build additional training facilities to augment effective training of Serving Fire Officers as well as prospective Fire Officers.

He further disclosed plans to put up specialised health facilities to cater for the health needs of Firefighters in the country are underway.

Dr. Bawumia asked the Minister for Interior to expedite action on these projects for the benefit of the personnel.

He explained since the coming into office of the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government in 2017; the Ghana National Fire Service has been given permission to recruit in excess of Seven Thousand (7000) Personnel to augment the manpower strength of the Service.

The Vice President stated it has demonstrated the government’s efforts of ensuring that, the Ghana National Fire Service has adequate personnel to expand its operations to cover all districts of the country.

He therefore advised the Chief Fire Officer, Officers, and Men of the Ghana National Fire Service to remain steadfast and committed to its mandate of saving lives and property.