Takoradi, Feb. 13, GNA – The Western Nzema Youth League (WNYL) has called on the government to adequately resource Fire Service stations and audit all fire hydrants in the Nzema area to ensure swift and effective response to fire incidents.
This follows an incident on the Elubo–Axim Road, where a fire truck from the Esiama Fire Station, responding to a roadside accident, developed a mechanical fault while attempting to douse the fire.
In a statement signed by Mr Bright Jappah Asuah, Vice President of the WNYL, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, the group said the disturbing incident had taken one of the station’s already limited fire tenders out of service, exposing a serious vulnerability at the heart of the nation’s energy security.
“The stark reality is that the Ellembelle Fire Station, the primary station serving the area, is now left with just one functional fire tender to cater for more than 100 communities and the multi-billion-dollar gas infrastructure,” the statement said.
It added that fire hydrants remained scarce outside the immediate Atuabo Gas Processing Plant perimeter, forcing firefighters to rely on water tankers and natural water sources such as lagoons, a situation that causes dangerous delays during emergencies.
According to the group, the combination of intensive industrial activity and densely populated communities increases the risk of fire outbreaks in the Nzema enclave.
“The Nzema area is not just any jurisdiction. It hosts the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant, Ghana’s sole facility for processing domestic natural gas, which fuels more than 50 per cent of the nation’s thermal power generation,” it noted.
“The area is also the onshore hub for the country’s hydrocarbon activities, with wells, pipelines, and support infrastructure for the offshore Jubilee and TEN oil fields.”
The statement emphasised that a well-equipped fire station was not only a community necessity but also a matter of national security.
The WNYL, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of the Interior, the management of the Ghana National Fire Service, and relevant stakeholders to undertake an urgent reassessment of fire response readiness in the Nzema area, and to provide the required logistics to enhance the capacity of fire stations to respond swiftly to emergencies.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Lydia Kukua Asamoah