Bajan Fire Fighters Blog

Training of firemen in Barbados, circa 1930. See our Instagram page for more photos. (Credit: Keystone-France via Getty Images) visit:  Bajan Fire Fighters Network - Instagram

The Barbados Community College, in conjunction with the Barbados Fire Service, will offer training courses in Firefighter I and II to persons interested in a firefighting career, from Monday, March 2, until Friday, May 29. Those interested should be between the ages of 18 and 28; possess a minimum of four CSEC subjects or equivalent, one of which must be English Language; have a valid police certificate of character; and a medical certificate certifying their ability to undergo physical training. A valid heavy duty licence would be an asset. Application forms may be collected from the Student Affairs Department of the Barbados Community College, “The Eyrie”, Howells Cross Road, St. Michael, and returned on or before Wednesday, February 25. (BGIS)

The Ministry of Health will conduct a simulation exercise this week to test the country’s preparedness for dealing with a case of the Ebola virus. While there have been no cases of Ebola in Barbados, the exercise is intended to identify any gaps in planning so that these areas may be strengthened. Several agencies in the health sector, security forces and other stakeholder organisations will be involved. As a result, members of the public may encounter personnel conducting various exercises, and they are advised not to be alarmed since this forms part of the simulation. The Ministry will issue a report at the end of the exercise to update the public on the outcome. (BGIS)

Four and a half days of intensive training, conducted by the Barbados Coast Guard has better equipped 10 firefighters of the Barbados Fire Service. In an effort to ensure the two services can work as a more cohesive team, the firefighters were trained in various aspects of emergency response, including in-water rescue, man overboard drills as well as training on the HMBS Leonard C. Banfield. At the closing ceremony last Friday, Station Officer Mervin Mayers, stationed at BFS' Probyn Street headquarters, noted the organisation had acquired a new boat, and their training would be called on in the case of emergency situations where its use would be needed. He also said the training would be another way to improve the customer service offered to the Barbadian public. Those who graduated were: Acting Sub Officer Lever Jordan, Acting Leading Fire officer Andrew Boyce, and fire officers Junia Griffith, Pernel MCclean, Randy King, Daveson Deane, Lonsdale Blake, Kelan McCalla, N...

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 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...

Barbados' chief fire officer Wilfred Marshall says his officers are moving to improve their certification locally. Moments after receiving several pieces of equipment from the Florida-based Hillsborough Community College, the fire chief said that they were currently working with the Barbados Community College to get an associate degree programme in fire science going. "That is being worked on as we speak. This is a collaboration between the Barbados Community College and Hillsborough Community College. There are a number of little details to be worked out," he said, adding that the parties involved met as recently as yesterday to discuss the developments. Dean of the associate science programmes at Hillsborough, Jack Evans said that they were working on an arrangement where when trainers from that Community College provided instruction to local fire officers, the BCC would receive the grades and be able to apply them to the transcripts of those officers here towards their...

They will not be decked out in hazmat suits and working to decontaminate several victims of a chemical spill. But young people in this year's Junior Fire Cadet Programme will, nevertheless, receive instruction in lighter, but still dangerous stuff, like responding to household incidents involving chemicals and the environment. This five-week summer holiday training by the Barbados Fire Service prepares 12-to-15-year-old students to be first responders in their homes and communities that are impacted by natural and man-made disasters, thus occasioning emergency situations. Designed to instill character, confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline, the sessions are free and will be conducted Monday through Friday, lasting from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entry into the programme is by registration form and a follow-up interview. Forms are available at all fire stations between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and must be returned by June 18. And the Fire Service is urging parents a...

The annual regional disaster relief exercise known as ‘Fuersas Aliadas Humanitarias’ (FAHUM) was held on Friday across the 16 Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) member states. More than 10 agencies were in attendance at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) located at the offices of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) in Warrens, St. Michael. This year’s exercise allowed the participants to test the response mechanism for pandemic influenza. A four member team from the Barbados Fire Service was in attendance for the exercise and coordinated the department’s response. Of significance this year was the use of the WebEOC incident management application during the exercise. The WebEOC hardware and software is currently being installed at the Department of Emergency Management and members of the emergency services are expected to start training with the software soon. WebEOC will be available for use during the 2009 hurricane season where it will be fur...

Twenty-four firefighters from the Barbados Fire Service and two members of the Barbados Coast Guard created history on Friday when they successfully completed the first Marine Firefighting for Land-based Firefighters training course. The one week training programme sought to expose the participants to firefighting techniques and concepts which would enable them to effectively mitigate incidents in a marine environment. The course was conducted by the Barbados Fire Service in collaboration with Hillsborough Community College and the Barbados Community College. Course instructor Keith Williams commended the participants for the dedication and commitment shown during the training programme. He also urged them to utilise the knowledge and skills obtained from the course and encouraged them to pursue additional training in this area with a view to strenghening the fire departments capacity to respond to marine incidents. The closing ceremony was held at the Barbados Community College Indus...

Four members of the Barbados Fire Service recently participated in a film and video workshop hosted by the Barbados Film and Video Association. The workshop was aimed at preparing persons in the fundamentals of working on a professional film or video shoot. The training consisted of both theory and practical sessions, with actual scenes shot on a set by a professional crew. The workshop instructors were line producer and production manager on many international feature films, Beatrice Hallenbarter; and producer of documentaries and dramas, and script supervisor on international feature films, Penelope Hynam. The knowledge and exposure gained by the fire officers will assist the Barbados Fire Service in developing content as it seeks to prepare educational video productions for the general public on safety issues. Some of this work can be seen on the department's internet television channel www.fireservice.gov.bb/webcast .

A full-scale, simulated search and rescue exercise by the Barbados Fire Service in collaboration with Caves of Barbados Incorporated was conducted yesterday at Harrison's Cave, Welchman Hall, St. Thomas. The exercise was a simulated cave collapse and was designed to test the Fire Service's response in the event of an emergency at the cave. The simulation provided the opportunity for fire officers and personnel from Harrison's Cave to practice and refine their procedures while working under a unified command structure. The Fire Service was also able to test its radio communication system at the sub-terrain level within the cave and its call-out procedures for off duty members of the Search and Rescue Unit. Source: Barbados Fire Service Blog .

I found this interesting video via the Firefighter Nation - Firefighter Rescue and EMS Social Network. I hope you folks find it interesting as well, especially my friends in the Search And Rescue Unit.

The Junior Fire Cadet Programme of the Barbados Fire Service is scheduled to commence on Monday, July 14, 2008. The programme, which is in its eighth year will be conducted at the Arch Hall Fire Station, St. Thomas, and is aimed at not only teaching the cadets fire safety, but also preparing these young men and women for the greater responsibilities of adulthood. Twenty participants, ages 13 to 15 years will be introduced to elements of fire response, which include the basics of hose and hydrant drill, ladder drill, lines and knots, fire prevention, fire protection, fire behaviour, extinguishers, squad drill and first aid. The fire cadets will also undergo training in water safety taught by the Barbados Coast Guard. Instructors will observe the fire cadets on hikes and nature walks intended to test their physical and mental endurance. At the end of the programme, the fire cadets are expected to be proficient in fire safety and foot drill, as well as demonstrate leadership, etiquette, d...