Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Member of Parliament for Assin South and Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, has condemned the actions of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, towards the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) at the scene of the fire outbreak at Adum Central Market in Kumasi.
Speaking on Joy News on Tuesday, March 25, Ntim Fordjour described Amoakohene’s conduct as highly unprofessional. He emphasized that the GNFS already operates with limited resources, yet their efforts in extinguishing fires often go unappreciated by the public and politicians.
Instead of acknowledging their challenges, they are met with criticism, which he believes is unfair.
A viral video circulating online captured Dr Amoakohene instructing firefighters to move their fire engines away if they insisted on having a standby tanker supply them with water.
Clarifying the situation, ACFO II Peter Tetteh explained that at the time of the Minister’s remarks, firefighters had temporarily paused operations to allow excavators to create access for more effective firefighting.
Ntim Fordjour further highlighted the struggles the GNFS faces in responding to fire incidents, stressing that despite their efforts, they continue to receive harsh criticism.
“One of the agencies that have been unfairly treated by the public and often misperceived as incompetent, ineffective, and unwilling to help is the Fire Service. These firefighters have been unjustly criticized.
“Whenever there is a fire outbreak, and they arrive at the scene, the first reaction from politicians and victims is to throw tantrums at the personnel, who are already frustrated due to the lack of equipment,” Ntim Fordjour stated.
He elaborated on the logistical challenges faced by the GNFS, explaining that navigating densely populated settlements to access fire sites is often difficult. Additionally, the water capacity of a fire tender is limited, and within five minutes of active firefighting, the supply can be depleted.
“By the nature of the structures in some areas and the volume of water that the tanker carries even when fire tenders arrived at the scene, their water can run out within five minutes of attacking the fire.
“When this happens, it is unfair to throw tantrums at the firefighters, as we saw the Ashanti Regional Minister do. His actions towards the officers were most unprofessional,” he added.
The fire at the Kumasi Central Market destroyed several shops, leaving nine people injured and others in a traumatized state.