A GNA feature by Assistant Divisional Officer 1 (ADOI), Hudu Baba
Tamale, Nov 6, GNA – As the alarm breaks, and the police motorcade takes the lead, the president and his entourage are on the move. The army, the National Security and the Ambulance Service follow suit.
Each of these agencies have their distinctive roles they play to ensure the security of the president and his entourage.
The role of the Army is to protect the president against any external threat, the police is to ensure his internal security, the National Security is for intelligence and surveillance of the place they are destined and the Ambulance Service is to provide first aid in time of need.
However, one aspect that is often left out is the safety of these personalities on the road. Road accidents are preventable but not completely avoidable. This is where the role of the Ghana National Fire Service becomes indispensable.
During a road accident, a vehicle may catch fire, its fuel system may be damaged, or occupants may become trapped inside the wreckage.
In such situations, the above-mentioned agencies are limited in capacity, and therefore, only the Ghana National Fire Service has the requisite skills, the expertise, and the equipment to extricate the victims trapped for the ambulance service for onward transportation to the nearest health facility.
Ghana has witnessed several road incidents involving high-profile public officials, hence, need for specialised rescue support.
On November 14, 2007, former President John Agyekum Kufuor was reportedly involved in an accident in which his official vehicle was rammed, leaving him trapped.
Similarly, on March 27, 2023, former Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was involved in a convoy accident. Reports indicated that two front tyres of one of his official vehicles burst, causing the vehicle to somersault before ending up in the bush, with occupants trapped inside.
More recently, the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, and the Deputy Minister for Communications, Hon. Mohammed Adams Sukparu, were involved in an accident while traveling from Bolgatanga to Tumu. Their vehicle was badly damaged, and occupants were reportedly trapped.
These incidents highlight the dangers associated with road crashes and the importance of specialised rescue services. Where untrained personnel attempt to free trapped occupants, they may unintentionally worsen injuries or cause death.
When victims are severely trapped in wrecked vehicles, opening crushed doors, shattered windows and mangled metal structures can be extremely difficult without the appropriate tools and expertise. The GNFS is equipped and trained to handle such challenging situations.
The consequences of improper rescue techniques can be devastating. These include preventable deaths, worsened injuries, delayed medical attention, and unsafe handling or transportation of casualties.
Ghana cannot afford to overlook this critical gap in emergency responses.
The 2007 accident involving President Kufuor illustrates the potentially far-reaching consequences of an incident involving a sitting President. If he had died in that accident, the country could have faced a serious constitutional and national crisis.
Similarly, had the Vice-President then, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia died in his convoy crashed, that could have also created a major leadership challenge in the governance system at the time.
These possibilities underscore why convoy safety must go beyond security and emergency medical care. It must also include specialised rescue capabilities.
Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have established specialised emergency response arrangements for protecting their national leaders.
Ghana can examine these arrangements and identify suitable practices for its own presidential and ministerial convoys.
This need, becomes even more urgent when one considers the condition of some roads across Ghana. Routes such as Bole–Bamboi, Bolgatanga–Tumu, Tamale-Bolgatanga and Takoradi–Cape Coast present varying road safety challenges.
Despite these risks, national leaders and public officials frequently travel along these routes. This country cannot risk keeping avoidable national disasters when in fact, it needs just a click of instruction from the powers that be to command the establishment of this preventable and life-saving arrangement.
It is incumbent on the necessary state apparatus to consider the proposal to get the President’s convoys to be adequately equipped with a Fire-fighting squad or team from the GNFS just as the other security structures in line to respond to emergencies, including likely serious crashes that require specialised rescue operations.
It is further proposed and imperative to attach at least one Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV), fully equipped with modern rescue tools and staffed by trained operational personnel, to the Presidency at the Jubilee House.
The RIV should accompany presidential and vice-presidential convoys, as well as ministerial convoys undertaking long-distance journeys. It should also be deployed to major national events attended by the President, where the operational risk assessment justifies its presence.
If an ambulance accompanies a convoy to provide emergency medical care, while the Police and the military provide security, then a dedicated Fire Service rescue team should also be available to free occupants trapped in crashed vehicles.
This arrangement would ensure that victims can be extricated safely and handed over to the National Ambulance Service for urgent medical attention.
The Ghana National Fire Service is not just about fighting fires. It also plays a vital role in rescuing people trapped in vehicles, collapsed structures, and other life-threatening situations.
Recent rescue operations across the country demonstrate the value of this expertise.
On the Anfoega–Adame Road in the Volta Region, a driver was reportedly trapped after a vehicle crashed into an Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) pole. A team of rescue officers led by StNOI Franklin Soglo was dispatched to free the victim from the wreckage.
In a separate incident at Nante in the Kintampo South District, an eight-member crew led by ADO II Appiah Gyamfi responded to a collision involving a DAF truck and a motorbike. The team successfully extricated two trapped victims and handed them over to the National Ambulance Service.
Another incident occurred at Suhum Niifio along the Accra–Kumasi Highway. A rescue crew led by STNO II Darkwah Prince used specialised equipment, including hydraulic rescue tools, to free a man trapped inside a Kia Rio.
During the operation, the crew also recovered GH¢50,000 and US$5,231 belonging to the victim.
In Asikuma in the Volta Region, officers from Peki Fire Station responded to distress calls and rescued four trapped victims from two separate accidents along the Ho–Asikuma Highway within three hours.
These operations demonstrate that the GNFS possesses the specialised skills and equipment needed to save lives during serious road crashes.
The question, therefore, is not whether the Fire Service has a role to play in convoy safety. The real question is why this essential rescue capability should be left out of the emergency response arrangements accompanying the nation’s highest public officials.
A well-protected convoy must be prepared not only to prevent threats but also to respond effectively when tragedy strikes.
Including the GNFS in presidential, vice-presidential and ministerial convoy arrangements would strengthen emergency preparedness, improve the chances of survival for trapped occupants and complement the work of the Police, military and National Ambulance Service.
The time has come for Ghana to address this critical gap. A dedicated Fire Service rescue team could make the difference between life and death when every second counts.
Protecting our national leaders means preparing for every foreseeable emergency. The GNFS must be recognised as an indispensable partner in that mission.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Writer’s email: [email protected]