– project a good example of public, private partnership
Residents of Rose Hall Town, Region 6 now have recourse to a better fire-fighting service with the commissioning of a new state-of-the-art fire station.
This was made possible through good public, private partnership with members from the community and the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce.

Present at the commissioning ceremony was Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, who said that the establishment of more modern fire stations continues to be high on Government’s agenda, despite  limited resources.
This, he noted, can be done at a swifter rate if more private, public partnerships are emulated in communities across the country.
“It’s the first fire station to be built exclusively with the input of private sector and public partnership. Government did make a mere contribution of $1.6M to the facility, but that was after the structure had been completed,” Minister Rohee said.

The administration continues to demonstrate its commitment to enhancing the operations of the fire service through several interventions, including building more modern fire stations and providing the necessary human resources.
He also lauded the move by the community and the people of Berbice for resuscitating the auxiliary branch of the Guyana Fire Service in the Region.
“Firstly, I must say that this is a very significant move by the community, and more so, the people of Berbice…..secondly the involvement of the community in the formation of the auxiliary service is an excellent move, since members of the community are coming back to give something to  the community,” Minister Rohee said.
Over 20 auxiliary firefighters were trained in the community with various firefighting techniques, and will be lending a hand to firefighters in times of emergency.
The Minister said that a similar situation is happening across the country in the form of community policing, where members of communities form themselves into community policing groups, and give back something to the community on a voluntary basis.
Minister Rohee also used the opportunity to express his gratitude to the members of the CCCC and the people of the Rose Hall for embarking on such a venture which will not only benefit Rose Hall, but other surrounding communities.
Regional Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha said that the facility will allow the people of Rose Hall a greater sense of security.
“I am very happy with this achievement, and can now boast that all three towns in Region have fire stations,  a safety net for the many persons contemplating investment in the region,” the Regional Chairman said.
Chairman of the CCCC, Imran Hamid, said that he was delighted to be part of the project, because “in the past we had to wait on a fire truck to come all the way from New Amsterdam and when it arrived here the building would have already been destroyed.”
The fire station was constructed at a cost over $10M, and includes all the basic amenities, including a kitchen and resting area for officers on duty. (GINA)