[ 2017-04-25 ]

Ghana National Fire Service

Fire is not candle to be blown off easily – GNFS rubbishes criticisms
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) says it
protected the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel after
fire gutted some commercial properties within the
facility on Saturday.

The GNFS says it was not sluggish in the handling
the fire as it has said in the media.

GNFS PRO, Prince Billy Anaglatey told Joy News
Monday the strategies they adopted in handling the
inferno helped it to save the adjoining
buildings.

“What we did was to position five tenders
permanently on the ground and to ensure that there
is no spread of fire to the other adjoining
facilities,” he said, adding firefighters did
not run out of water.

The GNFS has come under severe criticism after
fire destroyed some commercial properties
belonging to Progressive People’s Party (PPP)
2016 Presidential Candidate, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom.

The fire is reported to have started at 5:00 p.m.
and raged for several hours while fire tenders
were on the scene.

Officials of Groupe Nduom have estimated the loss
at $1 billion, but Coconut Grove Hotel was not
affected by the inferno.

Sections of Ghanaians accused the GNFS of running
out of water which resulted in its inability to
douse the fire on time.

A management of Groupe Nduom also criticized the
firefighters for their lethargic attitude in
handling the fire.

On Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Kofi Asamoah
Siaw, minced no words in criticising personnel of
the Fire Service.

He said the firefighters stood by the street in
front of the hotel while they tried to extinguish
the fire.

But the firefighters in their reaction said
fighting fire is not as simple as handling a
candle fire that could be blown off without much
difficult.

Mr Anaglatey said it is not the massive
application of water to inferno that extinguishes
it. "If we are not careful the water damage will
be more than the destruction from the fire."

He said the extent of damage caused the commercial
properties could have been more if firefighters
had not followed through with the strategies
adopted.

“The public is looking at the destruction
forgetting that the hotel facility had been
protected,” he said.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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