Tamale: The Northern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has engaged the media to dispel the widespread misconception that firefighters sometimes respond to fire incidents without water. The engagement was part of a simulation exercise conducted by the Command, bringing together journalists to witness a demonstration of how a fully loaded fire tender with a storage capacity of 900 litres (200 gallons) of water and four bars of pressure could dispense its entire content in less than six minutes.

According to Ghana News Agency, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade One (ADOI) Hudu Baba, the Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, addressed the media after the simulation. He stated that the initiative aimed to educate the public on the realities of firefighting operations and to clear the notion that fire personnel attended to emergencies without water. “Our exercise today is to let the public know that the Fire Service will never respond to an emergency without or with little water. We always move to the scene with full capacity,” he emphasized.

ADOI Baba explained that the intensity, nature, and reach of a fire determined the level of pressure, measured in bars, to be used during firefighting. “The higher the pressure applied, the faster the water is discharged, which sometimes creates the impression that the water brought to the scene is inadequate,” he added. In scenarios where the available water was exhausted quickly, the Service immediately called for an additional tender or identified alternative water sources to ensure continuous firefighting.

Furthermore, ADOI Baba mentioned that even broken-down fire tenders at various stations were often filled with water to serve as emergency reserves. “Anytime the taps are flowing, we put water in those tenders just for emergency purposes. How much more of a vehicle that is in full motion and ready for duty like this one?” he remarked. He encouraged the public to visit the GNFS offices for clarification on issues they might not understand, stressing that the Service’s doors were always open for engagement and education.

ADOI Baba also appealed to the media to support the Service in educating the public, emphasizing that firefighters deserved encouragement rather than criticism, as they continually risked their lives to protect others and property.