Bajan Fire Fighters Blog

Fourteen members of the People's Cathedral Cub Scout Pack led by Scout Leader Rosita Phillips were treated to a tour of Fire Service Headquarters in Bridgetown this afternoon. The educational tour provided an opportunity for the cub scouts to learn about the role of the fire service and to see up close the emergency equipment and fire appliances used by fire officers on a daily basis.

Chief Gregory N. Richards, President of the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) paid a courtesy call on acting Chief Fire Officer Randolph Cox on Wednesday morning at Fire Service Headquarters in Bridgetown. During the two and a half hour meeting and familiarization visit the chiefs held in-depth discussion on the following; regional training opportunities, information sharing and communications technology, disaster preparedness in the fire service and funding. The CAFC President and Chief Cox also discussed other developmental projects and commented on the existing cooperation between the CAFC and the Barbados Fire Service. Chief Richards expressed his desire to see such collaboration continue with a view to enhancing and strengthening the working relationship between the two agencies. Chief Richards continues his regional tour with visits to St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Martin before returning to St. Croix (US-VI).

A family of five was made homeless after their three-bedroom uninsured wall house at Dalkeith, St Michael, was gutted by fire yesterday. Pastor Samuel Gibbs, his wife Cheryl and their three sons ranging in ages from 22 to 29 lost all of their possessions in the blaze which firemen managed to contain in the densely populated area. Two fire tenders from the Probyn Street headquarters under the command of Acting Division Officer Evans Morris responded to the call. None of the Gibbs family was at home when the fire broke out and when the DAILY NATION reached the scene, distraught members and friends were rummaging through the smoked-filled dwelling to find anything that could be salvaged. Gibbs said that he did not know where his family would stay but he was confident that they would find accommodation. A less composed deaconess Gibbs said that her heart was paining her. The family's small dog that was tied in the back yard and a number of chickens in a coop escaped the fire. For many,...

Fire Officers from the Worthing Station and Fire Service Headquarters were mobilized in the early hours of this morning after a motor car collided with a wall at Hastings, Christ Church. Seven officers with two tenders under the command of Station Officer Tyrone Trotman responded to the incident and extricated the occupants from the vehicle which, was extensively damaged. Three persons were treated by ambulance personnel and transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The accident occurred at approximately 4:26 a.m. (e-Report photos by C Bishop)

Exposure to future career pathways and options are important aspects of a student's life. On Friday several students viewed and participated in a Careers Exposition hosted by the Barbados Community College. The exposition provided the students (both primary and secondary) with the chance to explore opportunities and identify possible pathways to future goals. A simulated emergency involving a structural fire conducted by the Barbados Fire Service was the highlight of the day as the reality of persons trapped in a burning building was portrayed. The fire suppression and rescue display was a popular talking point all afternoon and was well received by the many students and teachers on-hand to witness the exercise.

A motor accident involving two cars at Lancaster, St James resulted in three persons being transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance. The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. this morning. Two tenders responded, a fire tender from the Arch Hall Station and the rescue tender from Fire Service Headquarters. Eight officers under the command of acting Station Officer Gabriel Nurse were involved in the operation. The jaws-of-life had to be used to extricate the injured. (e-Report photo by N Bostic)

A mother and her four children are now homeless following an early morning blaze that destroyed their home at Crest Road, Ellerton Housing Area, St George. The fire which started at about 1 a.m. destroyed one of two adjoining units occupied by 34-year-old Tracy Belle, her one-year-old baby Jasara, Urijah, seven, Keshem, ten, and her 16-year-old daughter Kishee. Belle said she was asleep when the fire started. "My daughter woke me up but at first I thought she was making sport, but then after I started to see the smoke. I don't know what happened'. Belle said because of how shocked she was, she just ran out the house with her children, leaving everything else behind. "I lost everything, everything. My children are to go back to school on Tuesday and they lost their school clothes and everything," said Belle. (MM) Source: www.nationnews.com

The Colorado State University forecast team predicts an above-average 2010 Atlantic basin hurricane season based on the premise that El Nino conditions will dissipate by this summer and that anomalously warm tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures will persist. The team predicts 15 named storms to form in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30 with eight expected to be hurricanes and four developing into major hurricanes (Saffir/Simpson category 3-4-5) with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. Long-term averages are 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 major hurricanes per year. “We expect current moderate El Nino conditions to transition to neutral conditions by this year’s hurricane season,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead forecaster on the CSU Hurricane Forecast Team. “The dissipating El Nino, along with the expected anomalously warm Atlantic ocean sea surface temperatures, will lead to favorable dynamic and thermodynamic conditions for hurricane formation and intensificat...

This morning, for the second time in just under two days, Barbados’ emergency services were forced to put in place their mass casualty treatment plan, after two buses collided head at Market Hill, St. George during rush hour. The accident occurred about 100 metres from the Market Hill gas station and involved a minibus heading toward Bridgetown and a Transport Board bus travelling in the opposite direction. Doctors from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a full fleet of ambulances from the Emergency Ambulance Service and the Barbados Defence Force, and paramedics and emergency medical technicians from both agencies responded, along with police personnel to control and direct motor and pedestrian traffic. Also on the scene to offer assistance was Minister of Health Donville Inniss and personnel from the Department of Emergency Management. Only on Sunday night emergency officials instituted their mass casualty plan for an overturned truck near the St. James Cemetery, which resulted in 17 pers...

Despite a decrease in the recent spate of fires across the island, firefighters at the Four Roads Station in St John have been busy. During the Easter Weekend a number of grass fires in the parish of St Philip required the mobilisation of the fire tender and crew to areas such as Long Bay, Eastbourne and River Land. Firefighters were deployed again for several hours last night at Eastbourne and River Land trying to contain a major fire there. Officers using two fire tenders under the command of acting Station Officer Errol Gaskin fought the blaze until it was extinguished. (e-Report photo by G Alleyne)

The Barbados Fire Service rendered support to 13 year old Ade Broomes last night during her dramatic presentation at the Mr and Miss Schools Pageant held at the St Leonard's Boys School, Richmand Gap, St Michael. Ade's presentation entitled "Fired Up" was performed during the talent segment of the pageant and was conducted with the able assistance of members from the Fire Service. Apart from lifting the contestant to and from the stage fire officers also provided turnout gear, firefighting hose, a hose branch and a fire extinguisher to help with the dramatization. From all accounts her performance was well received.

The Bajan Fire Fighters' Network has gone a step further into the digital age with the launch of a podcast service. This new service will offer digital audio clips discussing fire safety, departmental events and other informative public service announcements (PSA). Podcast are digital media files (can be audio or video) that are released episodically and downloaded through web syndication. The mode of delivery differentiates podcasting from other means of accessing media files over the Internet, such as direct download, or streamed webcasting. A list of all the media files currently associated with a given series is maintained centrally on the distributor's server as a web feed, and the listener or viewer employs special client application software known as a podcatcher that can access this web feed, check it for updates, and download any new files published. Bajan Fire Fighters are already using social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to reach members of ...

We pray that The Lord's blessings are upon you on this Good Friday and always... To all of our fans, have a blessed day.

The Government has provided $86.5 million in the 2010/11 Budget to improve fire protection services provided by the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB). Of the total sum, $35 million will be spent on spare parts to repair five vehicles, while $30.7 million will be used for the procurement of equipment, such as standby generators, gas warning devices, breathing apparatus and protective jackets, for fire prevention and fire fighting activities. Another $15.8 million will: facilitate repairs and maintenance of fire stations on a priority basis; commence construction of fire stations in Port Maria (St. Mary), Barnett Street (St. James) and the Jamaica Fire Brigade training school, Kingston; and the relocation of the Jamaica Fire Brigade headquarters in Kingston. The remaining $5 million will be used for the repair and replacement of fire hydrants islandwide, on a priority basis. Another $87 million has been set aside to facilitate the cleaning of drains and gullies, before and after the hurricane s...

Update on Bush Fire Calls The following is an update in the number of bush fire calls for the period March 16th to March 24th 2010 by the Trinidad & Tobago Fire Service. The Ag. Chief Fire Officer is appealing to all citizens to exercise caution in dealing with all outdoor fires. Due to the country’s present water shortage, citizens are advised to limit the burning of large heaps of dried leaves, grass and related items. Unsupervised and uncontained burning can result in degradation of forested areas, which can lead to mass flooding when the rainy season arrives. Citizens are further reminded that a Fire Permit must be obtained prior to embarking on such activities. This is in accordance with the Agricultural Fires Act, Chapter 63:02 of the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago. The public should pay heed to the following guidelines: • Do not slash and burn • Always burn in small heaps • Have water available at all times in case fire gets out of control • Cut traces in the ground around the ...