Cape Coast, Aug. 13, GNA – The Central Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has organised a capacity building workshop for its Metropolitan, Municipal and District Fire Officers (MMDFOs).
The two-day workshop was to get the MMDFOs to properly understand issues of budgeting and the new Service Administrative Regulations (LI2415) of the Service, so that they could take necessary decisions in accordance with the new regulation.
Addressing the participants, DCFO Rev Edward Ashong, Director, Human Resource and Development, said the new regulations mainly focused on the administrative structure as well as the terms and conditions of service.
He noted that the regulations if thoroughly followed, would serve as motivation to propel officers to work even harder.
Rev Ashong added that the new regulations among other things provided for committees to address issues relating to promotion as well as recruitment and enlistment, and as such, officers could not continue to use ‘ways and means’ to secure promotions.
In that regard, he admonished the MMDFOs to extensively read the new regulation and apply it without fear or favour and also train their subordinates on the new regulation to ensure continuity and sustained results.
DCFO Ashong further encouraged them to work hard and make the necessary efforts to leave positive legacies behind in any position.
Responding to efforts to equip officers with modern techniques of fighting fires, he said the GNFS had acquired two hydraulic platforms that could take personnel to a higher height, which hitherto was non-existent.
Additionally, he said the Service was working around the clock to secure an extrication equipment for the Central Regional Command to be able to adequately attend to road accidents when they occured.
He was confident that with the government’s commitment to equip and retool of the Service, it would be better placed to protect lives and property.
ACFO John Amarlai Amartey, Regional Commander of the GNFS, noted that there were some weaknesses in how some MMDFOs drew and implemented their budget, coupled with inadequate understanding of the new service regulation.
He underscored the importance of budgeting and said: “when we understand budgeting and implement it well, it will help us manage the little resources at our disposal to achieve bigger and better results and thereby save the public purse and enhance service delivery”.
