Bajan Fire Fighters Blog

The ability of the Barbados Fire Service to fight fires in high-rise buildings and deal with hazardous materials has been boosted. Seventy members of the Service have graduated and are now qualified in those two areas after successfully completing a three week training programme in High-Rise Operation and Hazardous Material Management. The ceremony was held this evening at the Barbados Community College following a course of training that took place in conjunction with the United States Hillsborough Community College from January 3. During the ceremony those graduating were given a timely reminder of the importance of training and their ability to do their job well by Chief Fire Officer Wilfred Marshall. In addition, he told his charges that it would be hard to achieve excellence without adequate, appropriate and timely training. “It is timely because Barbados is a developing nation in many areas. One that captures our attention at this time is the simple structured developments and in...

There was a confrontation between members of the Fire Service Association and acting Chief Fire Officer John Springle late yesterday, as firefighters attempted to evacuate a dilapidated fire sub-station building at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando. The officers planned to operate from under a tent in the station’s front yard, but Springle thwarted their plans. Around 4 pm, they were seen washing down the yard and transferring their desks, chairs and bunk beds to under a shed where the fire appliances were parked. Springle arrived around 4.10 pm with a team and demanded to know why the firefighters were removing the station’s property. Springle asked reporters who gave them permission to be on the station compound. Association president Charles Ramsaroop interjected saying the media was invited by the association and firefighters were no longer working from inside the dilapidated “asbestos-filled” building. Committee member Jason Bertrand explained that the station had no emergency exit...

A Christ Church family lost all of their possessions when a fire destroyed their two-bedroom wall and timber home earlier today. Neither the owner of the house, Diana Nurse, her son Fabian Nurse nor brother James Nurse were at home at Balsdon Land, Simmons Land, Rendezvous at the time of the blaze which started around midday. Two fire tenders, one from Worthing and the other from Headquarters in Probyn Street responded to the fire under the command of Acting Station Officer Neil Smithwick along with eight fire officers. Source: www.nationnews.com

Executive Director of the Barbados Manufacturers' Association (BMA), Bobbi McKay, hopes that the manufacturing sector is spared from the firebug this year. In a recent interview with the Barbados Advocate, she noted that while the current recession and efforts at recovery have been putting somewhat of a strain on the manufacturing sector – as has been the case with other sectors – they have been surviving. But, she said, one of the biggest problems that has been facing manufacturers in recent years has been fires and she is hopeful that they do not see it reach the extent to which it has on previous occasions. McKay explained that the sector has been experiencing on average about five fires a year, which, she suggested, have been putting a serious dent in the sector’s ability to contribute at its full potential to the overall economy. She pointed out that the firebug is an issue that the manufacturing companies have been faced with time after time and if it persists, the sector cou...

The Bajan Fire Fighters' Network continues to play an important role in disseminating information to the world via its social networks. In just over a year the online community has become a beacon for important and relevant information on breaking fire service news, major disasters and severe local weather. The Network has also become an invaluable tool to the news media, firefighting community and other special interest groups. By using Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, YouTube, Ustream and Podomatic Podcast members of the Barbados Fire Service has found a resourceful method of sharing information on most of the interesting developments taking place in their profession. Just look at some of the media and special interests groups following the information published by the Bajan Fire Fighters' Network; Jamaica Observer, FOX News (Boston), CNN iReport, Barbados Today, Seismic Research Unit (Trinidad), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), International Fire Service Training Asso...

The over 2 000 businesses in Bridgetown are taking the issue of fire safety seriously. This was the view of the senior vice-president of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) Lalu Vaswani, as he addressed the media during a presentation of awards to two outstanding business students at BCCI’s Brittons Hill, St Michael location. “I think that all businesses understand the responsibility to their companies, to their staff and to the general public for protecting their businesses in all respect. “And I think that the wake-up call we had recently in Tudor Street would have caused all sensible business persons to review even what they thought were good plans.... to see how they could make it better,” said Vaswani. He also said that ongoing action by the Barbados Light & Power (BL&P) and the Government to encourage further lighting of Bridgetown at an economical cost was a positive step. Vaswani said that this action attested to the fact that people were taking th...

A fire of unknown origin early yesterday morning destroyed one of the oldest wooden buildings on Main Street, Georgetown. That building housed the Frandec Travel Service, LIAT Airlines Local, Dragon Tours and H&F Machinery Inc. Kaieteur News was told that the fire started shortly after 01:00 hrs yesterday. Kathryn Eytle-McLean, the CEO of Frandec, said that she received a call some time after midnight informing her about the fire. The woman said that she immediately rushed down to Main Street only to see the decades-old building engulfed in flames. The CEO said that she estimated her losses within the hundreds of millions. “We’ve lost computers and other office equipment, we also lost our records which a priceless.” Further, Mrs. Eytle-McLean said that she was told that persons close by heard three loud explosions. “Persons in the area recalled hearing three explosions with the last one being the loudest….Soon after, flames were seen.” Frandec is one of the oldest travel agencies i...

The top official in the Barbados Fire Service is calling on Barbadians to be extra careful this year in an effort to reduce the number of fires to which the Service has had to respond in recent times. Speaking with the Barbados Advocate yesterday morning, Chief Fire Officer Wilfred Marshall said they are hoping that more persons will take the fire prevention measures which the Service has been promoting to heart, because they were seeing too many fires which could have been easily avoided. He noted that the last few years have been quite challenging for the Service with last year recording a large number of fires, particularly, grass fires. He revealed that up to January 6, the Service responded to some 23 fires across the island for the year, but he remained hopeful that the numbers would not reach those recorded for January 2010, which stood at approximately 452. “I cannot say that it is quite the dry season as yet, but this is the time of year that we see a large number of grass and...

The Operations Section of Fire Service Headquarters on Probyn Street will be temporarily housed at the former Glendiary Prison, Station Hill, St. Michael, from Monday, January 10. This relocation is to facilitate repairs being carried out on the Probyn Street building. The Administrative Section at headquarters will be relocated to the 5th Floor of the NIS Building Fairchild Street, Bridgetown. The telephone numbers 426-3504/9 and emergency number 311 will remain the same. (BGIS)

We extend our very Best Wishes for a Happy New Year to you and yours. We wish you a Peaceful, Joyous, Prosperous and Healthy 2011. " Fortitudo, Pertinacia et Constantia"