Ghana considers buying rescue helicopters for fire service

Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned infrastructure projects and operational vehicles for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Fire Academy and Training School respectively, in Accra on Friday.

Bawumia commissioned two-storey dormitory blocks, two-storey classroom block and a dining hall for the Fire Academy and Training School.

Operational vehicles for the Ghana National Fire Service were also commissioned. Operational vehicles for the Ghana National Fire Service were also commissioned. He also commissioned two hydraulic platforms and a rapid intervention vehicle (RIV) for the operational use of the Ghana National Fire Service.

Bawumia said that the facilities, fully funded by the government, form part of plans by the government to resource and help the Ghana National Fire Service to deliver on its mandate more effectively, as well as equip the Fire Academy and Training School to be among the best in Africa.

“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 firefighting simulators and urban search and rescue simulators to help keep firefighters abreast with modern firefighting and rescue skills,” Bawumia said.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and other officials commissioned infrastructure projects of the Fire Academy and Training School in Accra Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and other officials commissioned infrastructure projects of the Fire Academy and Training School in Accra “Government is also considering the acquisition of firefighting and rescue helicopters as a long term solution to some of the delivery challenges of Ghana National Fire Service,” he said.

Bawumia said that the government, through the Interior Ministry and the Fire Service Council, has also acquired plots of land in various parts of Ghana to build additional training facilities for the ease and effective training of personnel.

On improvement of personnel for the service, Bawumia said that since the coming into office of the NPP government in 2017, the Ghana National Fire Service has been given permission to recruit in excess of 7000 personnel to augment the manpower strength of the Service.

“This demonstrates 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,” Bawumia added.