-Liberia National Fire Service official discloses, amid fire crisis
By Jerromie S. Walters
Amid the awkward wave of fire disasters across Liberia over the last few months, P. Edwin Tisdell, the Deputy Director for Operations of the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) says the institution is faced with logistical constraint, as it only has two fire trucks in the entire country.
Tisdell made the disclosure when he appeared on a local radio station early Monday, April 15, 2024, in Monrovia. The LNFS Deputy Director for Operations revealed: “Currently we have just two trucks. The two trucks, one day one is down the other day another one is down so I can just say we only use one truck because the two trucks are not really active and functional so we need to be serious and understand that the Liberia National Fire Service LNFS) is seriously challenged.”
With this, he recommends the need for adequate budgetary support and for the government to as well consider the need for each of the 17 districts in Montserrado County to have a fire truck. According to the Deputy Director for Operations of the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), the entity’s current budget is $USD 2.1 million. Of this budget, he said over sixty percent (60%) is used for salary. Additionally, Tisdell disclosed that a single fire truck uses at least eighty (80) gallons of fuel.
Commenting on initial findings by the Liberia National Fire Service LNFS) in the Speaker’s home disaster, Tisdell noted. “What we gathered last night, was that an electrician, there was a fire on the breaker and the breaker was having some issues and the electrician worked on the breaker but when the electrician left the scene, fire caught the same breaker that he worked on.”
Tisdell’s comment comes following a recent Fire incident at the Rehab residence of House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa. Cllr. Koffa’s house is among several other properties that have fallen prey to the recent wave of fire disasters across Liberia.
The evening hours of Sunday, April 14, 2024, were undoubtedly awkward for the Speaker of the 55th Legislature of the Republic of Liberia, as a result of an unexpected fire that broke out at his residential home along the Robert Field Highway, which led to its destruction.
Eyewitnesses at the scene confirmed that the fire started shortly after the return of power by the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to the facility.
Despite the swift response by firefighters from the Liberia National Fire Service, who arrived at the scene within thirty minutes of the fire starting, the blaze quickly escalated, engulfing the entire compound. Tragically, no casualties have been reported thus far, but the extent of the damage to the Speaker’s residence is substantial. Reports indicate that the firefighters faced challenges in combating the flames due to a shortage of water supply.
This incident is part of a concerning trend of fire disasters that have plagued Liberia in recent months. The frequency of such incidents has raised questions about the preparedness and resources available to respond effectively to emergencies of this nature. Authorities and the public alike are calling for increased measures to prevent and address fire emergencies to protect lives and property across the country.
Though the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS) has not provided a report about the different incidents that previously occurred, WomenVoices earlier gathered that between January 11. 2024, to April 2024, the country experienced over ten disastrous fire incidents in Montserrado County alone. This has made many believe that the West African nation is possibly experiencing a fire crisis and there’s a crucial need for swift remedy.
