New Equipment coming for Jamaica Fire Brigade
The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) will soon benefit from improvements to infrastructure and personnel capacity, to ensure the successful implementation of its mandate.
This announcement was made recently by Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan, at a special news conference to address the incidence of bushfires in St. Andrew and St. Thomas.
“As part of the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP) funded by the World Bank, three brand new fire stations will be constructed in this fiscal year. They will be located in Yallahs in St. Thomas, Port Maria in St. Mary and in the city of Montego Bay. All the design work for these stations has been completed and submitted to the World Bank.
It is also intended that a major renovation project will take place at the Spanish Town Fire Station, in which a significant portion of the labour and workmanship will be provided by the firefighters.”
The Minister of State, who has responsibility for the Fire Brigade, also announced that the Fire Brigade will be repairing 280 hydrants and installing 75 new ones across all parishes. There will also be routine maintenance work on approximately 1200 hydrants island-wide, and these projects will be funded from resources provided in the 2015/16 Budget. “In order to gradually increase the Agency’s response capabilities, The Brigade will acquire two (2) firefighting units, two (2) water tankers, two (2) ambulances and one (1) fire boat. I am also heartened by the fact that this year, the Jamaica Fire Brigade will commence the process of recruiting and training an additional two hundred (200) firefighters.”
Mr. Fagan noted however, that people must be responsible, and ensure that fire prevention become a part of their daily routine.
