Techiman (B/A), July 12, GNA – Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday said the government is making the necessary arrangements to equip the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) with standard fire tenders to enhance its work.

The Vice-President had addressed a durbar of chiefs, Assembly Members and security agencies in the Techiman Municipality after which he handed over a brand new fire tender to the local fire station.

He stressed that the government would ensure that fire tenders imported into the country conform to international standards

The Techiman fire tender, with registration number FS 449 is among the first batch of fire tenders imported by the government for distribution nation-wide

The new fire tenders are all fitted with automatic gears and other novel operational apparatus.

Vice President Mahama announced that the government had placed an order for more than 50 similar computerized fire tenders from India and more than 20 from Belgium.

He expressed concern about the destruction of properties and human lives in the wake of fire outbreaks in the country and the obsolete fire tender vehicles that could not help trained fire personnel to control such fires.

Lessons have been learnt from those sad events, hence the Government will ensure that standardized fire tender vehicles are provided to curb the menace, the Vice President said.

“It is very tragic when children die in fire”, he noted and disclosed that gas masks would also be imported to make rescue missions less dangerous for the fire men and women.

Vice President Mahama cautioned house-owners to periodically check the state of electrical wiring in their houses, saying, “Everything including electrical appliances and wiring has economic dates” in order to avoid the recurrence of domestic fire outbreaks.

He urged all to help prevent the outbreak of fires, rather than being the cause and later seek for curative measures from personnel of Fire Service.

“Please let us do things that could prevent outbreak of fire because prevention is better than cure”, the Vice President added.

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, advised drivers, especially taxi drivers to always make sure they turned off the engine of their vehicles at a fuel filling station to avoid fire outbreaks.

He urged station attendants to educate drivers on the danger of leaving the engine of the vehicle on while waiting to buy fuel.

Filling station attendants can refuse to attend to any driver who would prove adamant to the instruction or advice or to report him or her to the police, the Regional Minister said.

The Brong-Ahafo Assistant Regional Fire Officer, Mr. Paul Opoku, said the lack of a fire tender had made it quite impossible for the fire personnel to effectively control fire outbreaks in the Techiman municipality as the people continue to abuse the at fire disaster scenes.

Mr. Opoku congratulated the NDC government for living up to the expectations of the Service by bringing into the country more fire tenders to control domestic fire outbreaks.

He said drivers had been trained to competently handle the new computerized fire tenders and urged drivers, especially taxi drivers, to give way to fire tenders rushing to fire scenes.

Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV, Omanhene of Techiman, who presided, called for the arrest of any driver who would obstruct moving fire tender vehicles for prosecution.

He expressed concern about the presence of a number of illegal structures scattered in the municipality and asked the Assembly to ensure the availability of access alleys to allow fire tenders to pass to scenes of fire outbreak.

The municipality needs a rescue van and an ambulance, as well as the rehabilitation of Techiman-Offuman road, he said.

The Municipal Chief Executive Mr. Alex Kofi Kyeremeh mentioned a number of developmental projects already completed and others on-going in the municipality.

The projects include the construction/rehabilitation of more than 50 Senior High Schools, a meat shop and a Nursing Training School.

Mr. Kyeremeh cautioned people to be wary of fire to avoid the destruction of human lives and properties.

Earlier, the Vice-President paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene and sub-chiefs at the Bonokyempim Duoduakwa Palace, as well as the Zarakyi Zongo Mohammed Gaye II at Zongo.

GNA