Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur on Friday commended the security agencies for resisting provocation of few individuals who wanted to create anarchy after last week polls. “I credit you for the serene atmosphere before, during and after the national exercise,” he stated and attributed the calmness to the protection they provided.
?Ghana is grateful to you,? Vice President Amissah-Arthur said during a review of the graduation parade of the Ghana National Fire Service Cadet In-take 10 held at the Army Recruit Training School at the Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region.
The Cadet In-take 10 was made up of 118 officer-cadet; 20 serving officers and 98 new entrants with varied academic and professional qualifications.
Out of the 118 officer-cadet, 20 are females and 90 males.
The training which took four months began on August 11and the training package included, fire safety, building construction, fire service management, fire service operation, written communication, fire drills, road traffic extrication, mobilisation and communication, hydraulics, chemistry of combustion and familiarisation of equipment.
Others are ladders, fire fighting foam, practical fire-manship, host, bushfires, knot and lines, electricity, fire precaution in premises, first aid, foot drills, and physical training.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur said the security agencies performed commendable roles in the conduct of the election and made Ghana maintain her iconic image as that of patience and tranquillity.
He asked Ghanaians to focus on unity now that the elections are over, saying; ?we have to get on with the business of meeting the legitimate aspiration of our people?.
?Government will continue to work for a united Ghana to help build a Better Ghana to improve the lives of our people.?
Vice President Amissah-Arthur congratulated the new officers for blazing the four months rigorous training that was tailored to address the challenges in the human resources development of the service.
He reminded them that their entry into the ranks of senior officers came with operational and managerial challenges and responsibilities.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur recalled that government in 2009 started a comprehensive programme of resourcing and retooling the GNFS.
During the period the Service had recruited about 2000 personnel, benefited from 152 new fire fighting trucks with modern state-of-the-art equipment, and a number of personnel have had the opportunity to undergo officers training programmes in modern fire fighting in USA, UK and Belgium.
The Service however still faces challenges of office and residential accommodations, the Vice President noted and gave the assurance that government would begin to address those problems systematically in the coming years.
He asked personnel of the Service to justify the increase investments in the Service by providing efficient and timely service to the public.
He urged them to stem the tide of the recent fire outbreaks in the country, especially in the markets by addressing issues of efficiency, quality, planning and delivery.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur said government would ensure that the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are provided with adequate fire hydrants to improve fire safety.
Furthermore, pre-cautioning measures also have to be taken through the intensification of education and fire safety measures, especially in the market places to prevent human error and practices that led to fire outbreaks.
The Vice President suggested the need for fire safety measures at homes, offices and factories and urged property owners to comply with fire safety regulations and cooperate with fire safety officers to reduce the incidence of outbreaks.
He explained that investors would be attracted to Ghana if only they could be assured of the safety of life and property.
Prizes were distributed to outstanding graduates.
Officer-cadet Charles Kwaku Mensah was adjudged the overall best graduating cadet officer.
GNA
