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Ghana Fire Service Ranks, Symbols And Recruitment Details

Join us as we shed more light on the more insightful details about service ranks, salary, and recruitment details of the Ghana National Fire Service. 

We’ll quickly describe the Ghana Fire Service, its role, the number of stations across the country, how to join the service, how to apply for recruitment and how much you can be paid. Anyone interested in learning more about the recently revised GFNS Salary Structure should read this post.

Brief Histroy About Ghana Fire Service

The Ghana National Fire Service is mandated to provide sufficient protection of life and property and educate and provide technical advice and assistance to schools, markets, MMDAs, lorry parks and other institutions nationwide on fire safety precautions under the strategic objectives of the mother ministry. Fire Management, Rescue, and Extrication Services is the Service’s primary program and initiative.

Their sole mission is to contribute to ensuring public safety from fires and any related emergencies, hence giving the people protection. 

The Role Of Ghana National Fire Service

To accomplish commedable goals, the GNFS must carry out the following duties:

  1. Create and maintain public education campaigns that highlight the importance of individual responsibility in fire prevention.
  2. Offer technical guidance for building blueprints on machinery and structural arrangements that will make it easier to elude firefighting, rescue, and management activities;
  3. examine fire extinguishers and provide technical guidance.
  4. Plan and provide guidance on the hiring of staff for institutions’ fire departments;
  5. Community-level fire volunteer squads are organized and trained;
  6. Provide rescue and evacuation assistance to those who are stuck by a fire or in other emergency situations, as well as do any other task that is ancillary to the service’s goal.

Ghana National Fire Service Motto

The motto of the Ghana National Fire Service is We Save Lives and Properties From Undesired Fires.

When And Who Established Ghana Fire Service

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) serves as an Agency under the Ministry of the Interior which was re-established by an Act of Parliament in 1997, Ghana National Fire Service Act, 1997, Act 537.

How Many Fire Stations Do We Have in Ghana

The Ghana Fire Service has about 140 stations which consists of over 18,000 employees, 6000 management and support staff and 800 communications centre staff.

Ghana Fire Service Ranks and Symbols

Similar to any disciplined organization, the Ghana National Fire Service has a rank system that represents the chain of command for the operational and administrative management of the service.

It aims to maintain order, control, a fair distribution of labor, and effective communication within the Service.

The GNFS is an organization made up of many divisions that work in unison to maintain the facility operational. These departments, which are enumerated below, are run by officers of various ranks:

  • Operations Department
  • Finance and Administration Department
  • Human Resource/Training Department
  • Logistics Department
  • Fire Safety Department
  • Research and Development Department
  • Rural Fires Department
  • Technical Services Department
  • Commanding Officer (National Headquarters)
  • Internal Audits (National Headquarters)

Senior Officers Rank

The Senior Officers Rank has the following rank structure:

  1. Chief Fire Officer (CF0)
  2. Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO)
  3. Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO)
  4. Divisional Officer Grade One (DO I)
  5. Divisional Officer Grade Two (DO II)
  6. Divisional Officer Grade Three (DO III)
  7. Assistant Divisional Officer Grade One (ADO I)
  8. Assistant Divisional Officer Grade Two (ADO II)
  9. Cadet Officer (CO) Personal of this rank are not Senior Officers yet but are on Officer Corps training into becoming Senior Officers at the Fire Academy and Training School (FATS). 

Junior Officers Rank

The Junior Officers Rank has the following rank structure:

  1. Station Officer Grade One or Group Officer Grade One
  2. Station Officer Grade Two or Group Officer Grade Two
  3. Assistant Station Officer or Deputy Group Officer
  4. Subordinate Officer
  5. Leading Fireman (LFM) or Leading Firewoman (LFM)
  6. Senior Fireman (SFM) or Senior Firewoman (SFW)
  7. Fireman (FM) or Firewoman (FW)
  8. Recruit Fireman (RFM) or Recruit Firewoman (RFW)

How Do I Join Ghana Fire Service

If you want to join the many people in Ghana who are trying to save lives and property from the raging fires, it is a commendable endeavor. The following are the prerequisites you’ll need in order to be considered for the opportunity;

  • You must have been born a citizen of Ghana.
  • You must be morally upright and have no criminal history.
  • If submitting an application for Officer Corp or Non-Tradesman, the applicant’s age must fall between 18 and 30. However, applicants for driver/mechanic positions must be under 35 years old.
  • Males must be at least 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) and girls must be at least 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) tall.
  • According to the GNFS requirement, physical and mental fitness are necessary.
  • A minimum of four WASSCE/SSCE passes are expected. A passing grade in math or English is optional but may be advantageous.

Cadet officer is the GNFS’s lowest rank. They hold a Senior School Certificate, or WASSCE. You can apply for this employment even if you have little to no experience.

This suggests that experience, education, and credentials determine a person’s ranking place. A higher position will undoubtedly go to those with higher qualifications than those with lesser qualifications.

To advance from one rank to another, an officer must first complete training and then pass a promotional exam. The exam aims to raise the officer’s academic proficiency and effectiveness for better performance. 

The principal department tasked with this is the human resources division. So you must consent to continuous learning if you agree to join them.

What is Ghana National Fire Service Basic Salary

The Ghana National Fire Service salary, like that of any other structured discipline, is purely based on your position within the Service. In other words, your paycheck increases as your rank does. The level of duty increases with rank.

Men and women of the GNFS are placed on the single spine salary structure, similar to that of the Ghana Police Service, with a minimum take-home pay of 700GHC per month.

Notwithstanding, both male and female members of the Ghana Fire Service are entitled to some perks and bonuses. However, the highest allowances are awarded to the highest ranked officers.

Ghana National Fire Service Headquarters Contact Details

The Ghana National Fire Service Headquarters is situated at Accra, Ghana. They can be contacted at +233 30 277 2446. They are always available from Monday to Sunday. 

To get more information about the Ghana Fire Service, visit their website

What Is Ghana National Fire Service Emergency Number

112 or 192 is the commonly used emergency phone number for the Ghana National Fire Service.

Additionally, it is advised that every single resident memorize the saved fire service number in their district so they can contact for quicker results.