The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has described as “troubling” several recent incidents of attacks on firefighters in the line of duty.
According to him, firefighters are not just emergency responders but men and women who risk their lives to safeguard lives and property from fire destruction. Any attack on them while discharging their mandate, he said, is a sabotage of public safety.
The Minister made the remarks when the Western Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) organised a durbar to climax this year’s International Firefighters Day (IFFD) celebration.
The event, held at the forecourt of the Regional Fire Headquarters at Fijai, was themed: “An attack on firefighters and equipment is an attack on public safety: End assaults and protect the firefighter.”
Mr Nelson stated that the theme spoke not only to the safety of firefighters but also to the safety of every citizen in the Western Region and beyond.
“Firefighters are men and women who run toward danger when others are fleeing,” he said. “Whether it is a raging market fire, an industrial explosion, a road traffic accident, or a domestic emergency, they stand between disaster and survival.
“Yet, it is deeply troubling that these same individuals sometimes face hostility, obstruction, and even physical assault while performing their duties.”
Mr Nelson continued:
“Let me state unequivocally that any attack on a firefighter is an attack on all of us. When a fire tender is stoned, delayed, or denied access, it is not just equipment being damaged, but lives being put at risk.”
He, therefore, called on all citizens to cooperate fully with fire officers during emergencies – by giving way to fire tenders, avoiding crowding at incident scenes, and refraining from acts of vandalism or aggression.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) II David Asah Darko, the Western Regional Fire Commander, said the rising cases of verbal and physical assaults on firefighters and the destruction of life‑saving equipment pose a threat to public safety.
He reiterated the need a International Firefighters Day is observed every year on May 4 to honour and celebrate the selfless and dedicated sacrifices of firefighters around the world.
This year’s observance was marked by a minute’s silence for the departed, the hoisting of flags, and the laying of coins in remembrance of fallen heroes.
Chief of Staff honours memory of firefighters who died in the line of duty
By Ebenezer Atiemo
