December 17, 2020
A modern fire and rescue service is to emerge from a complete overhaul of the law governing the Barbados Fire Service, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams said on Wednesday.
In remarks during the passing out parade of nearly two-dozen firefighter recruits at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology, Abrahams said there has been no large-scale revision of the Fire Service Act since 1961 to modernize it and bring it in line with the current practices in the field.
The proposed overhaul is intended to allow the Barbados Fire Service to evolve into a comprehensive fire management and rescue operation which can deliver a modern fire and rescue service that responds to the demands of the 21st Century, he said.
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Emergency teams will soon be able to respond to crises much faster, says Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams.
He said that time reduction would be possible once the amalgamated headquarters of the Barbados Fire Service and Ambulance Service was completed.
Although he was unable to give a completion date or announce how much the project would cost, Abrahams said the facility would be built at Prince Road.
“In the very near future, a new Fire Service Headquarters complex will be constructed at Prince Road, St Michael. This complex is expected to house the Barbados Fire Station, the Barbados Fire and Code Enforcement Unit, the Fire Service administration headquarters and the Emergency Ambulance Service.