Jamaica Fire Brigade Reports Success in Campaign

The Jamaica Fire Brigade is reporting success in its campaign to raise public awareness on fire safety across the island as the agency observes Fire Safety Awareness Week from October 22 to 28.

Assistant Superintendent of the Kingston and St Andrew Fire Prevention Division, Nicholas Ogilvie, told JIS News that this change has come about after years of hard public-education fieldwork in fire safety and awareness.

“We have done hard work in our community safety and awareness programme and we’re now realising some traction. We have seen it in Mavis Bank (rural St. Andrew). After that campaign, we have seen the statistics fall so low than where it was before, in terms of fires and other incidents. So, we’ll be using that same strategy to push in every community for them to be empowered,” he said.

Fire Safety Awareness Week is being observed under the theme ‘Empowering our People for a Fire-Safe Jamaica’.

The week’s activities began with a church service at Faith Cathedral Deliverance Centre on Waltham Park Road in Kingston. Other activities include disaster risk reduction expositions in May Pen, Clarendon; Lucea, Hanover and Port Maria, St. Mary.

On Friday (October 27), the agency will host an Open Day and Expo at the Waterfront in Kingston from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Additionally, each parish will be staging activities to sensitise the people about fire safety.

Assistant Superintendent Ogilvie told JIS News that persons who visit the expositions will be provided with information on fire safety.

“Every single fire station will be having their own mini expo, so everyone can just go by. People will be engaged in various activities and can expect to learn a lot of new things. They will be empowered in terms of fire safety and life safety. We will be teaching them the proper way to use a fire extinguisher, basic first aid, and to conduct light search and rescue. There will also be simulation exercises and information on escape drills in the homes and business places,” he said.

He is encouraging citizens to participate at the local level.