Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, has commissioned a smoke chamber for the Fire Academy and Training School (FATS) to enable trainees gain exposure to fire fighting before being confronted with real life situations.

The smoke chamber, named after the late GOI Hannah Yawson, a fire officer who died in line of duty eight years ago, is expected to enhance the quality of training offered by the School.

The smoke chamber is a confined environment and a basic infrastructure required in every professional fire fighting training institution to enrich its drilling programmes.

The Acting Chief Fire Officer, Edwin Ekow Blankson, speaking at the event, said over the years responders had had challenges working in confined environments because it was one area that they did not have too much exposure due to the lack of a simulator to introduce fire fighters to such situations.

The facility, he said, would therefore give trainees the exposure required to function as they should in their line of duty.