SEVENTEEN trained Guyana Fire Service (GFS) firefighters are now capable of manning a US$1.4M fireboat called the “Protector” that was commissioned by Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, on Thursday.

The specially designed GY$294M vessel constructed for Guyanese water by Angloco Limited, based in the UK, is docked behind the GFS headquarters at the Transport and Harbours Stelling, Water Street, Georgetown.

The vessel is capable of pumping over 5,000 gallons of water per minute.
The fireboat, Minister Ramjattan noted, is an addition to the acquisition of 10 water tenders, five ambulances and one aircraft firefighting rescue vehicle.

The minister said over the years, the government has invested heavily in the sector as five new fire stations are in their final stages of construction at Lethem, Mahadia, Melanie Damishana, Onverwagt and Mabaruma.

“This is a significant investment in public safety and security, and I want to commend the efforts by the GFS and other stakeholders in this initiative,” he said, adding: “I want to urge that this piece of equipment be cared and taken care of since it’s an expensive piece of equipment.”

Minister Ramjattan explained that a fireboat operating in Guyana must meet international standards while protecting shoreline investments and aiding in water rescue services, civil emergencies and humanitarian missions.

He reminded that the last time the Guyana Fire Service owned such a vessel was in the period 1977 to 1978, which was called the “Forbes B”. It eventually ceased operations after one of the largest fires hit the waterfront in 1977.

The investment, the minister said, is indicative of the government’s commitment to the safety and well-being of all Guyana as the country is on a march to greater prosperity for its citizens, businesses and infrastructure.

“This very vulnerable waterfront in Port Georgetown with its massive wharves and warehouses and cargo handling facilities that process billions of dollars’ worth of shipping goods, stock and fuel, needed to be protected. This government continues to invest in the acquisition of assets for that kind of protection,” he stated.

Chief Fire Officer, Marlon Gentle, said the “Protector” will ease the burden of the Fire Service. Gentle noted that over the years, the Fire Service has sought ways in which it can protect the waterfronts by retrofitting boats to fill the gap which proved futile.
He said the boat was built from scratch and designed to work in Guyana’s rivers. Training was also provided to firefighters to effectively operate the boat.

“Over 30 years we have been without a [fire] boat so we would have had no expertise within the fire service even though they [firefighters] had exposure to marine firefighting training. To operate a boat to fight the fires, we needed to have a skilled set of firefighters. The GDF Coast Guard came on board and in two years, through all the training cycles, we were able to train 17 persons who can become the nucleus,” the fire chief stated.

Some of the functions of the fireboat include protecting shoreline installation from fires, support shore base fire suppression operations by supplying large volumes of water to land base firefighting units, water rescues and ambulance services and to support environmental stability operations in case of spills and environmental cleanup after chemical release incidents.
The vessel took approximately one year to be completed.