Bajan Fire Fighters Blog

The large low pressure system 650 miles east of the northern Windward Islands (12.9N 51.2W) is becoming better organised. On its present track, the leading edge of the cloud mass will begin to affect Barbados by this afternoon, with some pockets of moderate to heavy showers, isolated thunderstorms and occasional gusty winds spreading across the island. Indications are that some of this activity will persist into Monday. Residents should remain on the alert, and continue to monitor any further updates.

GEORGETOWN -- A Caribbean Airlines plane with 140 passengers aboard crashed while landing in Guyana early today and broke in two, causing several injuries but no deaths, said President Bharrat Jagdeo. The plane apparently overshot the 400-foot (123-metre) runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport in rainy weather. It barely missed a 200-foot (61-meter) ravine that could have resulted in dozens of fatalities, he said. "We are very, very grateful that more people were not injured," he said as authorities closed the airport, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and delaying dozens of flights. Authorities struggled to remove passengers without adequate field lights and other emergency equipment. The extent of the injuries was not immediately clear. The plane had left New York and made a stop in Trinidad before landing in Guyana. No further details were immediately available. The crash of the BW 523 is the worst in recent history in Guyana, and only one of the few serious in...

Developing responsible citizens aim of fire cadet programme Fire Officer Fernando McAllister has recommended that the Junior Fire Cadet Programme held at the Arch Hall Fire Station, Arch Hall, St. Thomas not be†interpreted as a casual experience. In an overview of the programme, McAllister said the aim was to provide good working habits and to build positive attitudes among all members enrolled rather than an experience of leisure. "It is hoped that each cadet will leave this programme with a better sense of responsibility, and that he or she will be more accountable for his or her actions within the family unit and in the community," McAllister said. He added that he hoped each participant would have a better idea of where they would fit into society with their future goals by exposing the cadets to the skills of firefighters and the rules fire service employees followed to accomplish success. "The five-week programme is designed to instill in each parti...

An 18-month-old baby suffered minor head injuries yesterday when the Transport Board bus she was travelling in was involved in an accident with an Ocean Fisheries truck along St Silas Road, St James, around 9:50 a.m. Police Constable Reginald Blackman, the investigating officer, confirmed that baby Jania Paul was travelling with her mother, Janelle Paul, when the incident occurred. The baby was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance. Driver of the Ocean Fisheries truck, 27-year-old Shelton Small of Turners Hall, St Andrew, had to be freed from his vehicle by officers of the Barbados Fire Service using the Jaws of Life, after he was pinned in. He received “slight injuries to the right leg, forehead and left leg”, said Blackman, while the bus driver, 35-year-old Junior Gilkes from Taylor’s Land, Fairfield, Black Rock, St Michael, complained of shoulder injuries. (CT) Source: www.nationnews.com

For the next five weeks, 25 students will be taking part in the Barbados Fire Service’s Junior Fire Cadet Programme at the Arch Hall Fire Station in St. Thomas. The programme, sponsored by Roberts Manufacturing Limited and SOL Barbados Limited, is designed to instil in each participant a sense of character, confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline. Co-ordinator Fernando McAllister acknowledged that the programme will be very thorough, and consists of practical and theoretical exercises. “The fire cadets will participate in varying aspects of training, such as proper techniques for handling and working with nozzles, fire hoses, and many of the various fittings; and CPR. They will be taught about the organisational structure of the Fire Service, what it takes to become a fire-fighter and the importance of a sound education,” he highlighted. “Presentations will also be delivered from various entities such as The Sanitation Department, Environmental Protection Departments, and National ...

The Arch Hall Fire Station was a hive of activity when 24 campers of the Quality Care Camp visited the St Thomas facility yesterday. The children had a totally enlightening experience as they got to tour the station and check out the various pieces of equipment used by firefighters. Fire Officer Carlos Husbands, who conducted the tour, showed the children how to use the Jaws Of Life as well as the fire hose and even gave them an opportunity to sit in a fire truck. Camp director Sylvia Arthur-Holder said the tour was the first of several planned for the students during the six-week camp. She explained that in addition to tours and the usual summer activities, the camp, which operates from the St John the Baptist Church, would expose the campers to Bible study and devotions. “The community is slipping in morals, so we are trying to see if we can do something to assist these youngsters to go on the right path,” Arthur-Holder said. (LK) Source: www.nationnews.com

As summer begins to sizzle, some New Yorkers and other culture connoisseurs travelling to Barbados, will not only boast of enjoying the myriad experiences offered during the island’s Crop-Over Festival. A Crop-Over Dutch party, Ladies’ Bikini Cricket, and a children’s event with the Barbados Fire Service will be part of the growing trend to do good, while having fun as the Barbados We Care - The Helping Hands organisation heads to Bim. The group, started on Facebook in October 2010 by Sue Bowen and Barclay Harris, with the specific aim of lending assistance to Barbadians and other Caribbean children and families in times of disaster and other areas of need, has joined with NYAL Productions of New York, to lead “philanthropists” to the island in late July. For the inaugural trip, the group has identified seven primary schools (The Primary Schools Initiative) – St. Giles, St. Martin’s/Mangrove, St. Margaret’s, St. Christopher’s, St. Ambrose, St. Andrew’s and Hillaby/Turner’s Hall – in ad...