The Guyana Fire Service is now targeting hinterland locations such as Port Kaituma, Mahdia, Mabaruma/Kumaka, Kwakwani and Lethem, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported recently.
“Recently, there has been a significant amount of development activities going on in hinterland areas and that has led to development to the much touted Hinterland Fire Protection Plan, which we want to commence rolling out this year,” Chief Fire Officer, Marlon Gentle told GINA in an interview.
The plan includes equipping some of the hinterland communities with some level of basic fire response capacity. Gentle said further that the major conflagration in Mahdia last year also heightened the importance of such a plan.
The GFS has been allocated $49M from the 2011 national budget to roll-out the plan.
Meanwhile, the GFS has already held consultations with the earmarked communities and has had an overwhelmingly positive response from residents, GINA said.
With regards to the equipment, Gentle said that some areas will have All Terrain firefighting vehicles, while others will be given trailer pumps.
For the first phase of the plan, Gentle explained, persons are to be identified in the various communities and they will be provided with the necessary training as auxiliary firefighters who will be able to readily access the equipment in the event of an emergency. However, the GFS along with the community and the regional administration will continue to manage the equipment.
He added that in time the plan will be developed into a more formal type of arrangement to effectively manage its operation.
Over the years, the fire service had been primarily focusing on the coastland, stretching from Anna Regina, Region Two, to Skeldon, Region Six.
And this year, GINA added, the GFS will be celebrating 53 years of existence. It was established out of the British colonial system after the Commission of Enquiry into the 1945 Great Fire indicated that there was need for a professional fire service in the country. Over the years the service has expanded from just two stations to now 14, GINA added.
