Government to purchase rescue helicopters for Ghana National Fire Service – Bawumia

Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed that government will soon purchase rescue helicopters as part of the long-term solution in fighting outbreaks by the Ghana National Fire Service.

“Government is also 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 said.

Dr. Bawumia disclosed this while speaking at the commissioning of infrastructure projects and operational vehicles for the Ghana National Fire Service and the Fire Academy and Training School respectively, in Accra on Friday, December 23, 2022.

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

The Vice President also commissioned 2 hydraulic platforms and a Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV) for the operational use of the Ghana National Fire Service.

In his address, he stated that the facilities, which are fully funded by the government, are part of the government’s plans to better resource and assist the Ghana National Fire Service in carrying out its mandate, as well as equip the Fire Academy and Training School to be among the best on the African continent.

“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,” Dr. Bawumia said.

On improvement of personnel for the Service, the Vice President noted 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 seven thousand (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,” Dr. Bawumia added.