FA reported last year that the Charlottesville Fire Department was donating a retired fire truck to Winneba. Well, members of the department recently traveled there as part of a delegation from the Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation, with the apparatus arriving soon thereafter.
Captains Carter, Henderson, and Battalion Chief Carpenter traveled with the Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation delegation to strengthen the Sister City partnership between Charlottesville and Winneba, Ghana. During the visit, members of the delegation were immersed in the local culture and events.
First, the delegation attended the Aboayker Festival. The festival is hundreds of years old and is a celebration to mark the migration from the ancient Western Sudan Empire. The most impactful portion of the cultural experience for the delegation was a guided tour of both the Elmina and Cape Coast Castles. These castles played a significant role in the gold and enslaved person trades. But also, two significant contributions were made here: the arrival of Christianity and the establishment of the first formal education system through Castle Schools.
Additionally, the fire department members met with the current Chief of the Winneba Fire Station and his staff. Together, they reviewed the work completed in 2019, focusing on reducing fire risk in the Winneba response area. In late 2021, the Charlottesville Fire Company donated a retired fire engine to the Ghana National Fire Service, Winneba Station. Unfortunately, circumstances did not align for the truck to have been delivered to Ghana before the visit, but NBC29 reports that it eventually made it there about a week later. Nevertheless, Chief Hughes and his staff were very excited and had several questions about the truck and its capabilities.
“We want to thank the Municipal Chief Executive of the Effutu Municipal Assembly, Hon. Alhaji Zubairu Kassim, staff, and the members of the Ghana National Fire Service, Winneba Station, for their hospitality.”