CFO Tuitert, CFO Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong with other officials at the meeting
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Johan Tuitert has paid a private working visit to Ghana to gain first-hand insight into operational challenges confronting firefighters, particularly recurring market fires, drowning incidents, and the safety of frontline personnel.
The exercise was aimed at identifying areas for potential support in training, equipment provision, and structured approaches to enhance water rescue and drowning prevention.
During the visits, he toured the Tema Community One, Ashaiman, Kantamanto and Makola markets to assess congestion levels, accessibility challenges, heavy fire loads, and other risk factors that complicate firefighting operations in major commercial centres.
Following the field assessments, CFO Tuitert met with the Minister for the Interior to discuss potential partnership opportunities aimed at strengthening fire prevention, especially within commercial centres, and improving response capabilities.
The discussions focused on building collaboration in areas such as training of personnel, exchange programmes, technical knowledge transfer, logistics improvement, and support for the provision of appropriate personal protective equipment to enhance firefighter safety.
CFO Tuitert later held a high-level meeting with the Management of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), chaired by the Chief Fire Officer, Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong. The meeting further explored practical areas of collaboration including specialised firefighting and Hazmat training, exchange programmes, operational planning, drowning prevention and water rescue training, and provision of modern appropriate personal protective equipment (APPEs) to improve firefighter safety and operational efficiency.
During his interactions, CFO Tuitert expressed admiration for the courage and resilience of Ghanaian firefighters who often operate under difficult and resource-constrained conditions.
He emphasised that market fires present unique operational challenges, including congested access routes, high fire loads, limited water supply, and exposure to toxic smoke, stressing that improved protective gear and preventive strategies would significantly enhance the safety of firefighters and improve response outcomes.
