–          Home Affairs Minister

WITH Guyana experiencing unprecedented growth in multiple industries, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, announced on Thursday that efforts are being made to upgrade the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) in order to match this progress.

The minister disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the Guyana Fire Service’s Senior Officer’s Conference held at the Guyana Police Force Annex, Eve Leary.
During his remarks, he said that with the current growth, the GFS is more and more challenged to become better skilled, better tooled and to upskill while being better prepared for the development that is currently ongoing.

Against this backdrop, he added that there has been a significant response to provide new assets for the GFS and further spread its footprint across the country.
“We’re building new fire stations, we’re building new fire headquarters, we’re talking about doing one now at Parika, a new fire station; we have a Wales Fire Station to be put down,” he said.
Further to this, the minister indicated that the expansion is also being addressed through discussions with the United Kingdom and supplier Angloco for additional fire trucks and other assets.
He said, “Out of discussions with the United Kingdom and Angloco, we are being retooled with a number of new fire trucks and other assets to bring the Guyana Fire Service into a better position to respond to the issues of fire in a more expert and experienced way.”

Additionally, he highlighted that there is much more work to be done to significantly improve the operations of the GFS and this is being undertaken.
Meanwhile, Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham, who also spoke at the event, stated that the fire service acknowledges the great development that has been taking place and has charted a course and planned its mode of operation to be relevant in this regard.

As such, he added that over the years they have been building capacity not only within the service, but also with external agencies that have lent support over the years.
He too admitted that the service has not been without its challenges, but has risen to the level and the task in a comprehensive way and has adapted to offer service with excellence to the people of the country.

Wickham told the gathering that upon assessing the needs of the nation with the pace of growth, it calls for more strategic planning and out-of-the-box thinking to ensure that the opportunities are there to ensure that the fire service is up to par and communities educated about fire safety and prevention.

The officers’ conference will continue today, featuring officers participating in presentation sessions and workshops.