THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS), on Sunday morning, held its ‘Get Ready’ exercise to better prepare and boost their firefighting efforts in the capital city of Georgetown.
The exercise was conducted along the route stretching from John Fernandes Wharf to Robb Street and saw over 80 ranks and officers testing new firefighting equipment. Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, who was present and observed the operation, said the aim of the ‘Get Ready’ exercise was to test out the readiness and functionality of the new equipment and to evaluate the man power of the fire service.

“The Guyana fire service is testing out its operational assets, the preparedness and systems in relation to the sudden possibilities of fires in Georgetown and so the effort is to test both the readiness and functionality of the equipment but also the engagement of the crews and their management,” Minister Benn said.
Deputy Fire Chief, Gregory Wickham, later added that the exercise was also aimed at testing and ensuring the effectiveness of both trainee and regular firefighters in the event of a major fire in a commercial area.

“We are just testing out some of the appliances that we would have acquired through the Government of Guyana initiative which will boost our strength, our resolve [and] help us to be better prepared for any eventuality.”
The exercise saw a total of 86 personnel, including nine officers, two sub-officers, eight section leaders, eleven leading firemen and women and fifty-six firefighters making use of specialized equipment including one fire boat, one hydraulic platform, one hose layer and six water tenders which conveyed water from the river at John Fernandes Wharf to Wellington and Robb Streets, Georgetown, covering a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometers.
The fire service earlier this month received five new fire tenders. The new trucks will be dispatched to Lethem in Region Nine, Mabaruma in Region One, Mahdia in Region Eight, Region Two and the fire station that is under construction at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.