Construction starts for new fire service HQ

Works ongoing at the new GFS headquarters at Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown (Photo taken from Guyana Fire and Rescue Service Facebook page)
Works ongoing at the new GFS headquarters at Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown (Photo taken from Guyana Fire and Rescue Service Facebook page)

Construction has commenced on the new Guyana Fire Service (GFS) headquarters at Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

In a Facebook post, the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service reported that Fire Chief (Ag) Gregory Wickham visited the site on Friday. During the visit, the Fire Chief inspected the works and was brought up to date on the progression of the project, the post added.

In January last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs had signalled the plan for the construction of the new headquarters, which is being built west of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue and next to the proposed Guyana Football Federation complex.

The project is expected to cost $648 million with construction expected to be completed by the end this year.

Presently, the fire service’s headquarters is situated in the congested Stabroek Market area. The heavy traffic in the area often negatively affects the fire service’s response time.

The new building is expected to house a control room, office space for senior officers and administrative staff, and a conference room.