GOVERNMENT is moving forward, aggressively, with its plans to relocate the Central Fire Station from its Stabroek Market location, due to the massive congestion in that area.

Work is expected to commence before the end of 2021 on the new Guyana Fire Service (GFS) Headquarters, Minister of Home Affairs said in an invited comment.

On Tuesday, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board disclosed that 12 companies submitted bids to undertake the $648 million project.

“Work will commence before the end of the year. We already have some money for ground preparation and this bidding now is for the entirety of the building and the facility,” the Home Affairs Minister stated.

Earlier this year, he had disclosed plans to have the headquarters relocated to Homestretch Avenue in an effort to promote easier access as well as to accommodate the new firefighting resources procured by government.

The new fire station will be built on three and a half acres of land as the ministry recognises the shortcomings of the current location.
The relocation of the Central Fire Station has been a topic of discussion for some years now. It has been recognised that the Stabroek Market area had been radically transformed since the station was constructed, particularly as it relates to the congestion. The future development of the area was also a factor that led to the decision to relocate the fire station.

Not only will the Central Fire Station be relocated but Minister Benn disclosed that the maintenance sections for the fire tenders will also be moved to that location from the West Ruimveldt Fire Station so that the main activities of the fire service will be in one place.

“There were congestion issues at Stabroek and the government has been bringing in new assets, new fire trucks and so on. There are also the emergency management system and the ambulances so we know that there is need for more space. Also, there is a consideration that the city itself has been expanding eastwards and southwards so the location at Durban Park will help to provide a better balance in terms of being able to reach some locations,” said Minister Benn.

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE
With regards to the expansion of the fire service’s human resource capacity, Minister Benn stated that the possibility has not yet been explored. He noted that at the moment the plan is to improve the service of the current fire fighters.

He stated that the plan was to ensure adequate training and capacity building exercises come on stream so that a higher quality of service is provided to the Guyanese people.

Following the recent fire that destroyed 80 per cent of the Brickdam Police Station, President Dr. Irfaan Ali disclosed the plans government has for improving the performance of the ranks attached to the GFS.

Acknowledging the shortcomings within the GFS, the Head of State noted that plans are underway to find Guyanese living in the diaspora, who once served in the capacity of Fire Chief, to provide training locally as part of efforts to improve the operations of the fire service.

President Ali noted that several GFS ranks negated their training and were unprepared for the emergency that required their best performance. He stated that significant retraining and new initiatives need to be in place to better equip the ranks to react to situations of national security.

“Yesterday evening, I asked the head of the diaspora unit to get me a list of all the persons in the diaspora who would have retired as fire chiefs in large cities whether it be Toronto [or] California, so we can bring that expertise home to infuse a level of professionalism, because this is about professionalism.

The state can’t provide you basic things as safety equipment for you to wear as fire officers and you turn up without them. It means that you are not in any state of readiness to respond to an emergency,” President Ali stated.