Today’s modern cities like our wonderful metropolis Tamale always prepare for any eventuality. Be it a natural or man-made disaster, or an flow of refugees fleeing a war zone, city authorities are expected to be adequately resourced to contain any fall out.
The safety of city residents and the integrity of the city’s infrastructure and public institutions rest entirely on the ability of city officials to effectively execute evacuation and rescue plans.
But there are times when cities are found wanting in this category; oftentimes, they are caught napping at the wheels — that is—-they are not quite ready to fight disasters, and the ultimate victims of any disaster are always the very citizens officials have sworn to serve and protect.
Against this frightening background, these questions ought to be posed. Is our city ready when a disaster strikes? For instance, in the even that a devastating fire sweeps through a neighborhood destroying everything in its path, will our city be prepared to confront such a calamity with the resources it can marshal?
Will our gallant fire fighters have the wherewithal — the equipment and other accessories needed to bring the fire under control and save lives and property in the process? Will their work be made easier. In other words, have city officials drawn up elaborate plans for this eventuality?
I don’t think so.
And my reservations are based on the complains recently made by the Tamale Fire Service with regards to the number of fire hydrants in the city. According to the head of the Fire Service, there is only one fire hydrant located in the at the university of Development Studies serving the entire metropolis. And, ironically, this hydrant serves neighboring Sagnarigu, too.
How can a city aspiring to greater heights only boast of just one fire hydrant? This is not only stunning but also immensely embarrassing. The implications of this blatant neglect could be catastrophic.
The city is jeopardizing the lives and properties of its residents and handicapping our fire service men, tying their hands and rendering their work more difficult. There is no excuse for this lapse in judgement on the part of Tamale city officials. Apparently, they have become complacent because there have been few major fire outbreaks in Tamale over the years. The silent consensus among them, unfortunately, is that “we can invest less in fire hydrants and get away with it.”
And you know what, city officials have been able to get away with this negligence all this time because Tamale residents have not held them to account or asked the hard questions. We go about our daily lives oblivious to the danger lurking in the background. Fire, as we all know, can have devastating and lasting consequences. And, our wonderful city from all indications, is less prepared for it.
The onus now rests on the new mayor, Musah Superior to tackle this fire hydrant problem as soon as time and money will allow and once and for all. He should confront this issue with the same zeal and effort he has brought against and traders on the streets of Tamale.
And one other very important item on the mayor’s agenda should be this: road users ought to be educated on the need to yield to Fire Service trucks rushing to a fire or any other emergency. Fire Service trucks should have the right of way no matter what; in fact, yielding to Fire Service trucks should be the law in the municipality. The mayor owes it to Tamale residents and the city’s Fire Fighters to do something drastic about this particular problem.