TWO FIRE SERVICE WOMEN EXCEL IN EMERGENCY SERVICE TRAINING (PAGE 11, JULY 10, 2010)

TWO women from the Ghana National Fire Service (Tema Region) have excelled in a one week capacity building in emergency service delivery held at the Ghana Airports Fire Training Centre.
The course was to encourage women to take part in fire fighting, as hitherto, they remained in the office and performed administrative work.
The two female fire officers, Ago Aba Otoo and Belinda Alayine, were among a group of 20 who underwent the training at the Airports Fire Training Centre in Accra .
Speaking to the Daily Graphic , the Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional office of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Mr Timothy Osafo- Affum said the training equipped beneficiaries, who were referred to as incident responders, to work in difficult situations during rescue operations.
Mr Osafo-Affum said the women were also trained to undertake firefighting in modern ways and in an expedient manner .
He said the Tema Region was fortunate to have had two female personnel benefiting from the training and excelling after the course to impact on firefighting in the region .
On their return, the two women demonstrated the skills they had acquired in emergency service delivery techniques to the delight of officers and men of the Tema GNFS.
Their demonstration included how to use the breathing apparatus to attend to firefighting and also how to contain the apparatus .
Mr Osafo-Affum said this was the first time women had participated in the course and hoped other women would take part in firefighting.
Previously, women in the GNFS had been in administrative positions.
He was optimistic that training of the women would change the situation and ensure that all hands were put on deck in firefighting.