The Ghana National Fire Service is an agency under the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior, constituting Ghana's nationwide fire service. It was established by the GNFS Act of 1997 (Act 537)[1] with a broad objective of prevention and management of undesired fires and other related matters.
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The National Fire Service was set up to perform the following functions:[1]
In March 2010, it was announced that the Ghana National Fire Service was to change its name to the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service. The new mandate of the service was to operate both fire and ambulance services.[2]
The vision of the service is to prevent and manage undesired fires, reduce loss of life and property by the enforcement of fire safety measures in national strategic installations, and respond promptly to fire disasters.[3]
The mission of the service is to provide an efficient and valued fire and rescue service to meet the statutory requirement of Act 537 and public expectation. This is to be achieved through appropriate resource in terms of equipment, appliances, and premises and by effectively training personnel.[3]
In the event of any national disaster, the GNFS collaborates with other Ghanaian government agencies, such as the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the armed forces, to deal with the situation. However, in such circumstances, the chief fire officer takes overall command.[3]
The service runs a centralised administration with a National Headquarters in Ghana's capital, Accra, and eleven Service Administrative Regions across all the regions of Ghana. Tema, the industrial hub of the country, has its own service centre which is regarded in the structure of the GNFRS as a region in itself, thus making up the eleventh region. The service also has a training institution, the Fire Academy and Training School, based in Accra. Each Fire Service Region has multiple District Offices; presently, the service has 125 offices in 108 out of the 145 political districts of Ghana. In addition, 25 Fire Posts also exist throughout the country.[3]
The head of the Ghana National Fire Service is the Chief Fire Officer (CFO), who is supported by eight key Directors, mostly of the rank of Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO). The Director in charge of Operations is, however, the second in command in the hierarchy. Below the Directors are Regional Fire Officers (RFOs), who are of the rank of Assistant Chief Fire Officer. District Fire Officers represent the next line of authority. They are usually of the rank of Divisional Officer, grade I or II (DOI / DOII). At the bottom of the hierarchy of authority are the Officers-in-charge of the various Fire Posts and Watches/Sections at individual fire stations.[3]
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