Conditions to be improved for firefighters

Western Bureau:

The firefighters who were displaced when the Barnett Street Fire Station in Montego Bay was demolished to facilitate the construction of a new state-of-the-art building have been struggling at the temporary location in Freeport.

"One of the biggest problems at Freeport is a lack of space," said building officer, Deputy Superintendent Andrew Russell. "The fire station houses 20 firefighters on a typical eight-hour shift as well as the watch commander. The existing space is inadequate to accommodate all the workers."

As a consequence of the less-than-ideal conditions at the Freeport location, Colin Fagan, state minister in the Ministry of Local Government, has commissioned a Jamaica Fire Brigade Task Force, chaired by Horace Reid, to assess the problems and find a suitable solution.

"In an effort to alleviate the current conditions at the temporary location, the task force has successfully secured at least two 40-foot containers to be retrofitted and placed at the location to be used as dormitories for firefighters," said Russell.

He said work on the project, which started three weeks ago, is progressing quite well as the retrofitted containers have opened up 700 square feet of living space for the firefighters. The process was greatly assisted by Jamaica Premix Limited.

"Mr John Valentine, manager of Jamaica Premix Limited, having heard of the situation of the firefighters, came on-board," said Russell. "He partnered with the fire service and has made over 15 cubic yards of concrete available to initiate the project valuing more than $200,000."

LENDING A HELPING HAND

This is the second time in recent months that Jamaica Premix Limited has offered a helping hand to the local fire service. It recently donated more than 20 cubic yards of concrete - valued at $300,000 - towards upgrading work at the Half-Way Tree Fire Station in St Andrew. The company also made a commitment to provide other assistance.

"As the building officer, I want to express gratitude to the management of Premix for the well-needed assistance, and I am encouraging other entities to follow suit as we still need stakeholder support," said Russell. "The scope of work will include air-conditioning, among other well-needed accessories, to make them habitable."

As a part of the immediate plans, bathrooms and other facilities will also be fitted in the containers. The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of March, is estimated to cost in excess of $5 million.