He said the present Chief Fire Officer, Mr Albert Brown Gaisie, and the Fire Service Council deserved mentioning and commendation.

He gave the commendation at the graduation Parade of Cadet In-take XIII of the GNFS at the Fire Academy and Training School at James Town in Accra last Friday.   

In all, 106 officer cadets graduated and were duly commissioned.

Response time

Mr Bani said the response time of the GNFS had been remarkably speedy and expressed the hope that the massive logistical support from the government to the service would assist the officer cadets to give their best to the Fire Service.

The Interior Minister said the GNFS had built enough capacity to train its personnel locally, compared to the past when officers had to be trained outside the country.

He, therefore, urged the officers to be proud to be part of such a progressive institution.

 Mr Bani said reports reaching his office indicated that officers sent outside the country to participate in international conferences, courses and competitions had excelled.

Dumgya project

Mr Bani singled out the Home Fire Safety (DUMGYA) Project of the service as being laudable as it was going to help reduce fires in homes.

He described the DUMGYA project as a very good initiative and thanked the command of the service for creating the enabling atmosphere for the private sector to partner the service to roll out the project.

He urged other private sector players to come on board and collaborate with the service to serve the nation more effectively.

The Interior Minister promised the government’s commitment to provide personal protective clothing for the protection and safety of firefighters.

He added that this commitment was seen in the cutting of the sod recently at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Brong-Ahafo Region for the construction of a modern Fire Academy and Training School.