Krobo (Ash), March 13, GNA - The government is to equip the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Station at Mamponteng in the Kwabre District with a fire tender to combat fire outbreaks.

Alhaji Ahmed Akwasi Yeboah, Kwabre District Chief Executive, who announced this, said an ambulance, which would be manned jointly by fire personnel and the Ministry of Health would also be provided for emergency disaster cases in the district.

Addressing a passing out parade of 36 fire volunteers at Krobo, on Friday, the DCE said the number of fire service personnel at the Mamponteng station would be increased when the necessary arrangements had been completed.

Alhaji Yeboah commended the volunteers for offering themselves to support the programme to combat fire in the area and urged the people to give them the maximum co-operation.

He said the government was doing all that it could to promote the welfare of the rural dwellers in the areas of health, education, agriculture and roads.

Divisional Officer Class One Patrick Essien, Kwabre District Fire Officer, said the government spent 1.2 billion cedis on relief items for disaster victims in rainstorm, bushfires and domestic fires in 2002 in the district.

He pointed out, however, that the expenditure reduced to 965 million cedis in 2003, adding that 352 million cedis had been spent on disaster victims from January to March this year.

He said it was against this background that there was the need for the training of the volunteers to help protect the forests, river bodies, food crops and prevent accidental fires so that the government could save more money for development.

Nana Fredua Mensah, Gyasehene of Krobo, called on the farmers to inform the volunteers to assist them to burn their farms. The volunteers who came from Krobo, Abira and Ahodwo included eight women. They spent one week in bushfire management, suppression and control.

The course was organised by the district assembly in conjunction with the GNFS, the district directorate of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Co-operative League of the United States of America (CLUSA), an International NGO working in the district under the Ghana Government Accountability Improves Trust (GAIT) programme.