Navrongo Fire Station receives batteries to restore grounded fire tender
Donation restores operational capacity of Navrongo Fire Service as commander appeals for more logistical support to improve emergency response.
The Navrongo Municipal Fire Station has received two batteries from Solomon Navanse, an aspiring New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman for the Navrongo Central Constituency, to restore its fire tender after it was grounded due to battery failure.
The donation is expected to enhance the operational capacity of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Navrongo, whose personnel had been struggling to respond effectively to emergencies and were forced to rely on neighbouring fire stations for support.
The batteries were presented on Wednesday, June 2, at the Navrongo Fire Service premises by Rev. Fortunatus Agulu Kaba and other members of Navanse’s team on his behalf.
Speaking during the presentation, Rev. Kaba said the gesture was driven by a desire to support a critical public institution rather than for political gain.
He noted that Navanse acted promptly after learning about the station’s logistical challenge.
“This intervention is about ensuring the safety and protection of lives and property in our communities. When the challenge was brought to his attention, he responded immediately,” he said.
Receiving the donation, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Fire Commander, D.O.II Maxwell Atanga, described the support as timely and crucial to restoring the station’s emergency response capabilities.
“The donated batteries will bring the vehicle back to life. In its current state, it is virtually dead and cannot be moved anywhere,” he stated.
DOII Atanga explained that the fire tender, which has served the municipality for more than two decades, has developed a number of mechanical faults due to age. The latest challenge, he said, was the failure of its batteries, which ultimately rendered the vehicle non-operational.
According to him, the breakdown significantly compromised emergency response efforts, as fire outbreaks in Navrongo and surrounding communities would have required assistance from the nearest operational fire station in Paga.
“You can imagine a situation where an emergency vehicle has to travel all the way from Paga through Navrongo to attend to a fire outbreak. What level of protection and safety would that provide to the people?” he queried.
Emphasising the non-partisan nature of emergency services, Atanga noted that disasters do not discriminate based on political affiliation.
“Fire does not have colours. Fire does not know NDC or NPP. If a fire outbreak occurs in anyone’s home and the fire tender is not functioning, what would they do?” he asked.
The Municipal Fire Commander expressed gratitude to Navanse and his team for the donation and appealed for additional support to address other logistical challenges confronting the station.
He also urged residents to contact the Navrongo Fire Service directly during emergencies through the numbers 020 558 1115 or 029 171 3170 to ensure a swift response.
Mike 105.3FM I Navrongo | Elizabeth Apusaama
