TRAINING has commenced for employees at the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and Town Councils in Region Six to become part of the mobile firefighting unit.
The initiative aims to train at least four employees from the local organs to become auxiliary firefighters.

The training will build the capacities of these local authorities, who are expected to respond to situations within the communities until the fire service arrives.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced the initiative in January during the sod-turning ceremony for the new US$28 million Brickdam Police Station ‘A’ Division Headquarters.
The President tasked the Guyana Fire Service to facilitate the training and charged them to focus heavily on fire prevention, protection, and firefighting.

Region Six’s Regional Executive Officer (REO), Narindra Persaud noted that these volunteers will help to quickly respond to fires and minimise the chances of any potential fatalities.
“Over the years, we have lost so many homes and even lost lives because we might not have taken enough fire-prevention measures…The more people get involved in understanding how we can prevent fires, the better the villages and communities,” the REO stated.
The firefighting course will be done in five sessions: two will be held in Region Five and three in Region Six.

Station Officer at the New Amsterdam Fire Station, Channon Crawford noted that the objective is to have these persons trained to respond to small fires.
“If there are fires in these far-flung areas like [such as] Mara or Black Bush Polder where the fire service will take some time to get there; if assistance can be given at the outbreak of a fire, then this training is one of the steps that will aid in minimising these small fires from getting large,” the fire officer explained.  The government plans to roll out the initiative countrywide. (DPI)