Many personnel go on retirement being diagnosed with stroke or cancer, an Assistant Chief Fire Officer at the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Timothy Osafo Affum, has disclosed.
These he explained are the side effects of the excessive heat they come into contact in their line of duty but do not have the necessary protective clothing and equipment for their work.
Mr Affum who is the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GNFS made the disclosure on Adom TV’s The BigAgenda, show.
He also bemoaned fire-resistant jackets Ghana has at the moment have all expired.
In addition, the outfit he said has no single fireboat despite it being crucial equipment in their rescue operations on water bodies – which is an integral part of the GNFS duties.
His revelations are on the back of a stunning report that as many as 61 persons died in firefighting in 2021.
But setting the records straight, he noted the number includes both fire officers and persons who lost their lives through fire incidents.
“Last year, we had three fire officers die in their line of duty notably was the incident at Agona Swedru where personnel drowned. There was another in Asanti and Western Regions,” he said.
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