Nzema: The Western Nzema Youth League (WNYL) has called on the government to adequately resource Fire Service stations and audit all fire hydrants in the Nzema area to ensure swift and effective response to fire incidents.
According to Ghana News Agency, this appeal follows an incident on the Elubo-Axim Road, where a fire truck from the Esiama Fire Station, responding to a roadside accident, developed a mechanical fault while attempting to douse the fire. In a statement signed by Mr Bright Jappah Asuah, Vice President of the WNYL, the group expressed concern that this incident had taken one of the station's already limited fire tenders out of service, revealing a significant vulnerability in the region's emergency response capabilities.
The statement highlighted that the Ellembelle Fire Station, the primary station serving the area, is now left with just one functional fire tender to cater to more than 100 communities and the multi-billion-dollar gas infrastructure. Additionally, the scarcity of fire hydrants outside the immediate Atuabo Gas Processing Plant perimeter forces firefighters to rely on water tankers and natural water sources, such as lagoons, leading to dangerous delays during emergencies.
The group noted that the combination of intensive industrial activity and densely populated communities increases the risk of fire outbreaks in the Nzema enclave. The Nzema area hosts the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant, Ghana's sole facility for processing domestic natural gas, which fuels more than 50 percent of the nation's thermal power generation. It is also the onshore hub for the country's hydrocarbon activities, with wells, pipelines, and support infrastructure for the offshore Jubilee and TEN oil fields.
The statement emphasized that a well-equipped fire station is not only a community necessity but also a matter of national security. The WNYL, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of the Interior, the management of the Ghana National Fire Service, and relevant stakeholders to undertake an urgent reassessment of fire response readiness in the Nzema area and to provide the required logistics to enhance the capacity of fire stations to respond swiftly to emergencies.