Students on the East Coast, West Coast and East Bank Demerara will benefit from a three-day exhibition to bring about more awareness of fire prevention in commemoration of Fire Prevention week.
This year’s theme is ‘Be alert, prevent fires and reduce fire loss’.
Fire prevention week is observed every year in the month of October around October 9, the day of the great Chicago fire in 1871, which destroyed some 7,430 buildings.
The exhibition, being held by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, started yesterday at the Diamond Community Centre and saw several schools on the East Bank Demerara from Eccles to Soesdyke in attendance.
The students were given a guided tour of all the fire-fighting equipment on display by firemen. They also saw demonstrations of putting out fires using a fire blanket and fire extinguishers. Teachers and students were then given a chance to put out the fires, much to the delight of the onlookers.
Fireman David Persaud from the Operations Department of the GFS told Stabroek News that the main reason for holding the exhibitions was to impart more knowledge on how to prevent fires and how to be prepared if and when they occur. He said they hoped schoolchildren turned up, since it would help the GFS to impart the knowledge rather that having to visit each school.
The exhibition continues today at the Lusignan Community Centre ground and caters for students on the East Coast Demerara. Tomorrow it moves to the Uitvlugt Community Centre.