The only fire tender serving the Oforikrom Municipality in Ashanti region has been grounded for over a year.
This adversely affects the response time to fire outbreaks in the area.
When fire gutted a 21-bedroom house at Anloga, fire officers had to rely on the Manhyia fire tender to fight the blaze.
The Ashanti Region recorded 390 fire outbreaks in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 485 fires the same period in 2022, according to the Ghana National Service.
Notwithstanding the reduction, the response time to fire outbreaks could have been better but for the poor state of fire tenders in the region.
Municipal Chief Executive for Oforikrom, Abraham Kwame Antwi, says requests from the fire department for repairs on a fire tender have not been heeded because the assembly cannot afford the cost.
“The regional fire chief reported this at the Regional Security Council (RESEC) but the money involved was huge and we didn’t have the capacity. Although it’s their [Fire service] responsibility to fix it, when they don’t have the resources, we the beneficiaries cannot sit and fold our hands. Even the KMA with high financial muscles took some months to fix theirs when it got spoilt. So we have reached out to some private institutions within our municipality to assist,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ashanti regional PRO of the Fire Service, D.O.III Peter Addai, explains there are ongoing plans to fix malfunctioning tenders.
He however expects all sectors to collaborate with the fire department.
“The regional command has put in measures to fix it. As of now, we have procured some packs, but the amount involved is huge. All of us have a role to play because the fire tender is serving the people of Oforikrom, although it belongs to us.”
According to him, the Assembly Act 936, states that the Assembly has to provide fire services, which means they have a major role to play.
There are currently 21 fire tenders serving 43 districts in the Ashanti Region.
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