Ghana National Fire Service received 656,591 prank calls in 2023

In 2023, the Ghana National Fire Service received 656,591 prank calls from members of the public.

The incidents occurred between January and November 2023 and caused the Service’s operations to become overextended.

This was made public during the 60th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of the Service, where recently retired senior officers received awards for their selfless service to the Service.

The Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Mr. Julius Kuunuor, stated that the prank calls had exposed the lives of the rescuers and allowed for fuel waste.

“When we engage in prank calls, we put incident responders at risk and waste fuel as well,” he said.

In 2024 and beyond, the Service would not tolerate such aberrant behavior, so Mr. Kuunuor urged the public to stop engaging in such activities.

In the first eleven months of 2023, there was a 4.92 percent decrease in fire outbreaks, with 5256 incidents reported during that time compared to 5,530 incidents during the same period in 2022.

The countrywide implementation of Public Fire Safety Education, according to the Chief Fire Officer, is responsible for the decrease.

“Property worth millions of cedis was salvaged through the timely intervention of the Service,” he said.

In order to provide sufficient healthcare for staff and the general public, the Service plans to construct clinics in each of the regions and will begin building a fire trauma hospital this year.

A Memorandum of Understanding to train fire personnel in pertinent fields from undergraduate to postgraduate programs is being signed with certain universities.

The training will be provided by the University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), and the University of Energy and Natural Resources.

“The Service is currently acquiring Fire Appliances and Equipment, such as Dual Purpose Tenders, Water Tankers, Rapid Intervention Vehicles, Utility Vehicles, and Command Vehicles in 2024, in partnership with the Government,” Mr. Kuunuor stated.

In addition to ensuring the opening of additional fire stations to improve response times, the new appliances will replace the outdated fire appliances at the fire stations.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com