As Liberia Observes International Firefighters’ Day: Landmark Improvement At Liberia National Fire & Rescue Service

The Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS) will on Thursday, May 4, 2023, join the rest of the world in observing the International Firefighters’ Day. The program will be held at the Barclay Training Center (BTC) under the theme, “Breaking Barrier to Equity: Recognizing and Supporting Women Firefighters”.

   This year’s celebration will bring together international partners, over five schools from around Monrovia and high-profile government officials, including the Minister of Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, who will represent President George Weah, and Nigerian Ambassador, His Excellency Godfrey Odudigbo, who will serve as keynote speaker.

   International Firefighters’ Day is observed each year on May 4 to recognize and honor the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that their communities and environment are as safe as possible. It is also a day in which current and past firefighters can be thanked for their contributions.

   In Liberia and under the watchful eyes of Col. Alex K. Dickson, the National Fire and Rescue Service has observed unprecedented transformation, leading to the rebranding of the entity and adding value to the firefighting profession.

   It can be recalled that when Col. Dickson took over as Director of the fire service the entity was seemingly dead, judging from the number of manpower, equipment and human capacity. From March 2018 to now, Col. Dickson has innovatively transformed the LNFRS into a vibrant, internationally recognized and locally respected entity.

   Before his takeover, the entity only operated with water trucks, and would most time go to the fire scene to ascertain the incident before retreating for water, at which time the fire would have caused maximum damage to the property. Sometimes, when the entity was called upon, it would reluctantly respond that there was no active truck to serve the purpose or no manpower to fight the fire.

   Fortunately, all these concerns were gradually tackled by Director Dickson, who first exposed the LNFRS to international partnership, linking with the fire service of several states in the US, including the Chicago Fire Department, and the firefighting forces of Nigeria and Ghana. He then scouted for training for the firemen, recruited more personnel and strived to elevate the LNFRS to an internationally accepted standard.

   Today, the entity can boast of several firefighting trucks donated by the government of India and others, as well as a trained workforce.

   In May 2022, the LNFRS graduated 135 firefighters after six weeks of intensive training in varied firefighting sciences. The graduates were trained by international trainers from the United States of America, Ghana and Nigeria.

   A few months later, in October 2022, he initiated a needs assessment tour of various fire substations in the country, beginning with major fire depots across Montserrado County, in order to catalogue and take prompt action, aimed at ensuring safety for lives and properties across the country, where necessary.    

  In June 2022, the LNFRS received seven modern fire trucks to beef up its capacity and strengthen the operation of the firefighters. In February 2023, the entity again received six brand new vehicles for operational use as part of effort by President George M. Weah’s administration to support the entity. It was then disclosed that the entity was expecting additional five mini fire trucks and one ambulance.

   Observers are saying that, while many heads of government ministries and agencies are being overrated for little strides, Col. Dickson is taking the LNFRS to higher heights in silence. They praise him for a job well done, and wondered if there are similar experts in Liberia dedicated to only results-oriented matters.

   The Liberia National Fire Services (LNFS) was established under the Ministry of Justice to safeguard life and property from the scourge of destructive fire across the length and breadth of the country, as well as to promote efficient fire prevention services.