THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has strengthened its ranks with the recruitment of 107 new trainees who began several months of intensive training at the Leonora Training School, West Coast Demerara, on September 1.
The new recruits are expected to undergo rigorous training aimed at preparing them for the demands and responsibilities of firefighting and strengthening the Service’s capacity to respond to emergencies and protect communities across Guyana.
Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham welcomed the recruits and urged them to approach the training with discipline, commitment and a strong sense of teamwork.
Addressing the trainees at the start of the programme, Wickham identified discipline as one of the fundamental principles of the firefighting profession.
He reminded the recruits that discipline would be essential not only during their training but throughout their careers in the GFS.
The Chief Fire Officer also encouraged the trainees to support one another and embrace teamwork as they work towards completing the programme.
He urged them to be their “brother’s keeper”, stressing the importance of cooperation and mutual support in a profession where firefighters routinely depend on one another while responding to emergencies.
The recruitment drive forms part of the GFS’s continuing efforts to strengthen its human resources and improve its ability to provide fire prevention, emergency response and other services to communities nationwide.
The new recruits will spend the coming months receiving training designed to equip them with the knowledge, skills and discipline required to serve as professional firefighters.
Their training will also introduce them to the operational demands of the profession and the responsibilities associated with protecting lives and property during emergencies