Minister McKenzie Pleased with Black River Fire Station Renovation

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says he is pleased with the renovation of the Black River Fire Station in St. Elizabeth.

The facility, which houses approximately 109 firefighters, was rehabilitated at a cost of more than $70 million.

The scope of works included the addition of female and male dormitories, offices for the ground command, paving of the compound, erecting perimeter fencing, drainage improvement, among other inputs. Furniture for the station is being awaited.

“I want to commend the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) [and] the Commissioner [Stewart Beckford] and to say to the public that the design and supervision of the work was undertaken by the JFB. So, the results of what you see now are a testament to the fact that the JFB is not only saving lives and responding to the various crises but is also a unit that has the engineering and construction capacity to undertake massive works on these facilities,” Mr. McKenzie stated.

The Minister, who was speaking during a press briefing following a recent tour of the facility, underscored the station’s importance, noting that it serves a significant section of the island.

“We are proud that they now have the requisite building, the facility and, most importantly, the equipment to respond [to emergencies],” Mr. McKenzie said.

He added that the Government will also be equipping the station to provide ambulance services, as the parish tends to have a significant number of accidents involving motor vehicles and motorcycles.

For his part, Commissioner Beckford thanked the Local Government Ministry for funding the station’s rehabilitation, noting that it formed part of the JFB’s objective of improving its infrastructure islandwide.

“What we did here, we are replicating in Annotto Bay [St. Mary] as we speak; last year we opened four brand new fire stations. So, as it relates to infrastructure development, I think we are on the right path,” he said.

“We will be offering emergency medical services here, as well as improving our fire-prevention activities, because that’s a broad area that we want to focus on… because we would rather prevent fires than respond to them,” the Commissioner underscored.

Mr. Beckford said he anticipates that the morale of the staff at the Black River Fire Station will improve, as the facility is well equipped and has all the modern amenities.

For his part, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, and Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth Southwestern, Hon. Floyd Green, said the facility’s renovation was greatly needed and commended Minister McKenzie for ensuring the work was done.

He said the project is “the biggest investment from the Government in infrastructure in Black River in the past 30 years, adding that “it is a signal that we are reviving, revitalising, and bringing back Black River, the capital [of St. Elizabeth], to its former glory”.