The Hinterland Fire Protection Service launched the first fire brigade in Mahdia, after an eight-day training session for volunteers managed by the Guyana Fire Service.
The programme was a collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the Region Eight Administration. Plans are in train to initiate this programme in other areas, including at Lethem, Mabaruma and Kwakwani, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
The programme entailed training and equipping an auxiliary fire brigade comprising staff of the Regional Administration and residents of Mahdia and surrounding areas. Officers from the GFS trained around 20 volunteers over eight days in theoretical and practical exercises in fire control, and fire-fighting, inclusive of cooling, smothering and transitional methods. This training is equivalent to that which a fire rank would receive on entering the fire service, though it was done in a rapid training format. The practical sessions provided training in all areas necessary to respond to a fire call.
An “all terrain fire appliance” was handed over to the Regional Administration. It is equipped with sirens, ladders, hoses, branches, tools, foaming chemicals, fire protection suits and has the capacity to carry 450 gallons of water and six firemen.
According to GINA, a system was developed where several teams were established along with a team leader. These teams will be on stand-by in turns to respond to any fire call and will be supported by additional teams if necessary. Residents can call any member of the brigade and alert them of an emergency and they will in turn transmit that information to other members of the team.
Additionally, a system was established where the telephone numbers of all the members of the Fire Brigade are available in the control room of the Guyana Fire Service in Georgetown, if a 912 call is made from Mahdia, operators will alert all the members of the brigade of an emergency.
At the close of the training programme, Fire Chief Marlon Gentle witnessed a display drill in Mahdia, where the volunteers were tested in their ability to respond, assess, mobilise and control an open fire.
Regional Executive Officer Ronald Harsawack welcomed the initiative, hailing it as appropriate and timely. “The Region, as you know it, particularly Mahdia, has been developing at a rapid rate, new homes and business are being built and more so a very busy airport hub, thus the need for emergency response services such as a fire brigade,” he said. The administration will support the effort of the brigade in the provision of resources and continued training, he added.
A huge fire had completely gutted a section of the business community in Mahdia a few years ago, resulting in millions of dollars in damage. To date, the fire brigade has already responded to a brush fire on the air field, which posed a danger to aircraft during takeoff and landing, due to the limited visibility created by the smoke.
