Ghana: No water and firemen 'too old"

From the Ghanian Journal - Link

Fifteen families were last Friday rendered homeless after fire gutted the rooms they were occupying on the upper floor of a two-storey building near the main lorry station at Assin –Fosu.

All their belongings were burnt to ashes, while the roof of the building was destroyed.

Briefing the GNA on the incident at Assin-Fosu on Monday, Mr Alfred Otoo, one of the victims, said there was nobody at home when the incident happened at around 1520 hrs.

He explained that there was power outage in the town that day and that the fire reportedly started immediately after power had been restored and it was therefore suspected that some of the occupants on the floor must have left their electrical gadgets on.

He said personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Fosu tried in vain to put out the fire and had to call for assistance from their counterparts in Cape Coast but the entire floor had completely been burnt by the time the team arrived.

Other people living within the vicinity the GNA spoke to, expressed anger that the local personnel of the Fire Service had been unable to put out the fire, because they were “too old”.

When contacted, the Assistant Divisional Officer of the GNFS at Fosu, Mr Tony Abraham, explained that a crew of firemen was dispatched immediately a distress call about the fire was received, but the water in the fire tender was not enough to put out the fire.

He also explained that the township had no fire hydrant so water has to be fetched into the fire tender from a stream in the next village, a distance of about 13 kilometres and that investigations are underway to establish the exact cause of the fire.

ASP Seth Doe, the Assin Fosu divisional crime officer said his office is yet to receive a report from Fire Service for it to carry out investigations into the incident.

New water tender for Riceville Fire Department

The Riceville Fire Department�s new tanker before (above) and after (top) almost two years of hard work. The 5,000-gallon tanker is now ready to be put into service. Fire Department puts 'new' tanker into service The Riceville Fire Department is putting its newest vehicle, a tanker obtained in a deal with the Department of Natural Resources' Forestry Department, into service after two years of hard work. With the new tanker, which holds 5,000 gallons of water, the Fire Department will be able to triple the amount of water it can take out on a call. Previously, the Fire Department could carry 2,500 gallons. Now, if necessary, they can bring 7,500 gallons of water to a fire call. "The truck is DNR-owned," Fire Chief Lyle Eastman explained, "but the Fire Department has lifetime use of it." The Fire Department must also provide liability insurance for the truck. Had the Fire Department purchased a new truck, the expense would have reached at least $150,000. Work on the truck was done at the elevator shop and at Dean Eastman's shop. The truck is a diesel-automatic. The Fire Department first obtained the tanker in April 2007. Since then, many improvements have been made to ensure that the truck is suitable for service. According to Eastman, the truck's tank was moved ahead, new mounts were added, a water fill was added, a quick dump was mounted in the back of the truck, and a 3,500-gallon portable tank was added. The portable tank was donated by workers at McNeilus. Once the work on the truck was done, it was sent away to be painted. The end result is a bright red truck with an American flag and an eagle painted on the side, along with the words "Riceville Fire Dept." in proud, yellow print. It is certainly a vehicle that the people of Riceville, and the Fire Department can be very proud of.

Source: http://www.ricevillerecorder.com - Link

Fatal TC: Responding Apparatus Crash - Water Tender

Fatal Responding Apparatus Crash (From The Secret List)
The Secret List - Link -5-20-08 / 1744 hours
Hey... A 60-year-old woman was killed Saturday night after being struck by a responding Rural/Metro Fire vehicle in Pima Count, AZ..
The Fire tender (support vehicle) was on its way to a car fire, using lights and sirens, just before 1900 hours when police say, the apparatus driver ran a stop sign.
The Firefighter who was driving the tender suffered minor injuries and has since been placed on paid administrative leave. An engine company that was responding to the car fire initially was able to handle the fire.
No citations have been issued, the sheriff's traffic unit is investigating and will turn the case over to the Pima County Attorney's Office to determine if charges will be filed.
Considering all the recent apparatus crashes, what do YOU THINK the apparatus drivers would do, if given the chance, to do it again? Yeah-exactly.

Take Care-BE CAREFUL. STOP at Red lights and STOP signs....these outcomes are not worth the rush. BillyG

Tags:Firefighter, apparatus driver, fire tender, support vehicle, Water Tender, engine company, traffic unit