The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is organizing a national competition for fire officers trained in the rescuing of accident victims from Thursday, April 22 to Friday, April 23. The competition dubbed: "National Extrication Challenge 2010," is to prepare the officers for an international competition in Ireland in September this year, while enhancing their skills in handling road traffic collision effectively. The GNFS is a member of the World Rescue Organization (WRO) that oversees roles played by member countries in rescuing accident victims. Ghana has progressed from the fifth to the second position at the world level in rescuing roles. Ghana and South Africa have been representing the African Continent at the World Extrication Challenge. Mr William Brown-Acquaye, Chief Fire Officer, made this known at a stakeholder’s conference ahead of the final competition. He said the Service had come a long way in establishing itself as the only African country in addition to South Africa, which had satisfied international assessment requirements in Road Traffic Rescue Collision. The conference is on the theme: "Employing Right Techniques for Saving Lives and Incident Management." It brought together participants from the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service, National Ambulance Service, National Road Safety Commission, Ghana Private Road Transport Union, National Insurance Commission and a representative from WRO in the United Kingdom. Mr Brown-Acquaye who called for support from the stakeholders said road traffic collision needed to be managed collectively to minimize or avoid spinal injuries, which may lead to permanent paralysis and the use of wheel chairs by collision victims. "Stakeholders could also address themselves to the question of how they could support and empower the Fire Service to meet the challenges associated with its rescue operation," he stressed. Mr Brown-Acquaye commended the efforts of Ghana Outlook, a non- governmental organization and WRO for the role they continue to play in helping the GNFS to progress. Mr William Jesse Mensah, Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Chairman of the National Extrication Committee, said Ghana spent about 165 million dollars annually in road traffic accidents in terms of the human loss, pre-hospital care and damages caused to lives and property. He called for support to the Fire Service in terms of logistics and other equipment to enable it carry out the rescue missions effectively. Source: GNA