By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, July 6, GNA – The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has begun a review of its response to the June 29 floods and multiple fire outbreaks to strengthen disaster preparedness and improve future emergency operations.
The post-incident debriefing, held a week after the disasters, brought together firefighters involved in rescue and firefighting operations to assess the response, identify operational gaps and draw lessons for future interventions.
Mrs Daniella Mawusi Ntow-Sapong, Chief Fire Officer, said the exercise was intended to promote learning rather than assign blame, while recognising personnel who risked their lives to rescue flood victims and contain fires under difficult conditions.
“Our first duty was to save lives. Many families are alive today because our personnel worked through floodwaters, debris and dangerous conditions with courage and professionalism,” she said.
Mrs Ntow-Sapong said firefighters responded to fire outbreaks despite flooded roads, power outages and limited access, helping to prevent further destruction.
“This evaluation is about truth. We are looking at what we did well, including our rapid deployment and lives saved, while identifying gaps in logistics, equipment accessibility, traffic management, inter-agency communication and personnel welfare,” she said.
Mrs Ntow-Sarpong called for improved logistics, flood-response equipment and stronger collaboration among emergency response agencies, saying lessons from the review would strengthen future disaster response.
“When the next flood or fire occurs, Ghanaians will look to us again, and we must be ready,” she said.
Speaking to journalists after the debriefing, Mrs Ntow-Sapong said the exercise offered an opportunity to evaluate the Service’s performance and improve operational efficiency.
She identified flooded roads, poor accessibility and adverse weather conditions as major operational challenges and appealed for additional logistics to enhance emergency response capacity.
Mrs Ntow-Sapong also commended community members for supporting firefighters during the operations, saying growing public cooperation had contributed to the emergency response efforts.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Grade One Kwame Rashid Nisawo, Accra Regional Commander, described the debriefing as the first of its kind for the Service.
“It has never happened before that personnel who responded to a major disaster have been brought together to openly debrief, brainstorm and strategise for the future,” he said, commending the Chief Fire Officer for the initiative.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Samira Larbie