Bajan Fire Fighters Blog

Fires may occur at any given time of year, month, week or day, but there are certain times when the risk or likelihood of a fire increases. One such high-risk period is during the Christmas season. This increase in fire risk and personal injury comes about because of the traditional behaviour of people around this time. In most instances, persons mean well as they set about to host and entertain friends and family, while treating them to the traditional Christmas lunch or dinner. This, of course, is preceded by putting up many decorative lights. Additionally, the use of decorative and aromatic candles, increased electrical usage by way of appliances and lighting, long curtains near the stove, frequent open flames through the cooking of many dishes, can contribute to fire hazards. Also, children as well as adults becoming fatigued from shopping and house cleaning. These events can lead to complacency, carelessness, neglect and, eventually, unforeseen emergencies. Persons become so engro...

One hundred and forty-five passengers aboard American Airlines flight 331 from Miami narrowly missed death as the aircraft overran the Norman Manley International Airport runway in Kingston, ending inches away from the sea along the Port Royal main road last night. More than 40 passengers aboard the Boeing 738 aircraft were taken to hospital, The Gleaner has learnt. According to Information Minister Daryl Vaz, most of those suffered broken bones. "Some (passengers) were shaken up badly, some are suffering from trauma and broken bones," Robert Mais, a passenger who walked off without any scratches told The Gleaner. According to Mais, the plane, which was scheduled to depart Miami at 7 p.m., was delayed for an hour. The trip, he said, was bumpy "and the landing was terrible". "We touched down pretty fast," he added, noting that he could hear the engine's reverse throttle, though the plane didn't seem to be slowing down. Instinctively, he said he plac...

The end of another year is near and we find it necessary to thank our members, friends, and all other persons affiliated with the Bajan Fire Fighters’ Network. We extend our heartfelt thanks to you for your invaluable assistance throughout the year. It has been a spectacular 12 months and your support is much appreciated. We launched our Facebook Fan Page on September 4, 2009 and the response has been tremendous. The move from our Facebook Group to a Fan Page has brought numerous benefits with the addition of several useful applications. Our Facebook fans now have access to our YouTube videos, Ustream channel, Fan Polls, and Blogger news feed without ever leaving Facebook. Our YouTube channel was created on April 28, 2009 and continues to generate much interest. Plans are already well underway for our video diary which should commence in January 2010. Twitter has proven to be extremely useful in allowing our network to disseminate information in a timely manner as incidents unfold. The...

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done. According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 million children. During 2008 some 2.7 million people became newly infected with the virus and an estimated 2 million people died from AIDS. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35. The Barbados Fire Service HIV/AIDS Committee was established in June 2007 and seeks to provide assistance, support and education to members of the Fire Service and their families. The committee also has a secondary role as a member of the national HIV/AIDS campaign. Fire Officers have donated to the HIV/AIDS Foo...