Ezra Kpakpo Mingle is an officer with the Ghana National Fire Service
• Road crashes continue to be the highest killer of persons in Ghana
• The GNFS says people do not die merely from the crashes
• The GNFS wants readily available equipment to save victims of crashes
The Ghana National Fire Service has said that there is the need for readily available specialist equipment to help accident victims, so as to avoid the many deaths associated with road crashes.
Ezra Kpakpo Mingle, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade 1 of the Service, speaking during the maiden GhanaWeb Webinar series on Road Safety on September 27, 2021, said most crashes in themselves don’t kill people but the unavailability of equipment and resources to handle the situation immediately is where the issue is.
“Most of these victims that lose their lives don’t necessarily lose their lives because of the collision; it is what happens to them after the collision. When the collision happens, some of them may have some fractured jaw or something that will affect the breath,” he said.
“So, airway would be blocked, blood would be oozing out, so loss of blood will be there. Some will be trapped by any of the components of the vehicle and would need someone with a specialist equipment to bring the person out. All these helps when it is readily available and can save many of the accident victims that die,” he said.
Ezra Mingle therefore called for the necessary provisions to be made for the service to be able to undertake this other important function of the GNFS.
“So, truly, the numbers are there and they are big but it is because of what happens to them after the collision. If they will get the best help after the collision, most of them will not die,” he said.
The discussions were moderated by the GhanaWebRoadSafety Ambassador, Bice Osei Kuffour, and GhanaWeb Managing Editor, Daniel Oduro.
Panelists who joined the discussions included the Director of Planning and Programs at the NRSA, Ing David Osafo Adonteng; Asst Divisional Officer Grade 1 of the GNFS, Ezra Kpakpo Mingle; the Director of Metro Transport and Traffic Directorate, Dr. Samuel Sasu-Mensah; Emergency Medicine Specialist, Clinical Coordinator at Korle Bu, Dr. Henry Bulley; and a DVLA Compliance Officer, Kofi Ansah.