The Chief Fire Officer and Director-General of the Ghana National Fire Service, Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, has shared the story of her professional journey, detailing how passion and dedication led her from a young recruit to the highest office in the service.
Speaking in an interview on Dwaso Nsem on Adom FM, the Chief Fire Officer said her early life was closely connected to the academic environment of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
According to her, her father worked as a lawyer at the university, which meant she spent much of her childhood on the KNUST campus.
“My father was a lawyer at KNUST, so that was where I grew up,” she said.
She later attended St. Monica’s Senior High School before returning to KNUST for her tertiary education.
After completing university, she undertook her national service at the Lands Commission, where she subsequently secured employment.
However, she explained that her career path changed after a life-defining experience during her time at KNUST.
“I will say working with the Fire Service was driven by passion. Because when I was in KNUST, there was a fire outbreak in one of the rooms on my floor and the swiftness with which the firefighters responded was amazing,” she recalled.
The incident left a strong impression on her and sparked her interest in joining the Fire Service.
“So I fell in love with the job and when the opportunity came, I responded,” she said, adding that she was about 20 or 21 years old at the time.
She began her career at the Kumasi City Council Fire Station, now under the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.
From there, she was transferred to the Chirapatre station, where the regional headquarters was then located. Her career continued to progress with postings to several operational stations across the country.
She later worked at the Fire Service headquarters in Accra before being assigned to stations at Dansoman, Nungua and the Trade Fair area.
Her leadership journey began when she was appointed Municipal Fire Commander at Madina.
From that role, she moved into senior management, serving as Acting Director of Human Resource before taking on a historic appointment in the Volta Region.
According to her, she became the first female Regional Commander in the history of the Ghana National Fire Service when she was posted to the Volta Region.
After that milestone, she was appointed Director in charge of Welfare and Safety at the national level, a position that further strengthened her administrative and operational experience.
Her rise through the ranks eventually led to her appointment as Chief Fire Officer and Director-General of the service.
Reflecting on her journey, the Fire Chief emphasised that her career progression was driven by commitment to duty and a deep passion for firefighting and public safety.
Her story, she said, demonstrates that dedication and perseverance can open doors for young professionals seeking to build long-term careers in public service.
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