Black River Station gets Fire Truck

The fire-fighting capacity of the Black River fire station in St. Elizabeth was boosted on (April 20), with the acquisition of a fire truck donated by the Managing Director of JR Group, Rennie Wellington. Spearheading the effort to acquire the truck was Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth South Western, Donald Buchanan.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony at the JR Group on Ellesmere Road in Kingston, Mr. Wellington explained that the truck was a 1989 ‘Low Profile Pumper’ that was manufactured in Canada, and had a 1,200-gallon tank. The vehicle has a 400-horse power caterpillar engine and is built on a Volvo chassis. Mr. Wellington, who hails from the parish of St. Elizabeth, said he was pleased to provide his parish with the fire truck.
“We all have a responsibility to help others if we can and I am pleased to provide my parish, which had given me the first breath, the first lease on life, with this fire truck. I do hope that it will serve everyone,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr. Buchanan commended Mr. Wellington for his efforts to help develop the parish, adding that because the parish suffered from outbreaks of bush fires, the truck would help to further protect the lives and properties of the people in St. Elizabeth.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Neil Findlay expressed gratitude to both Mr. Wellington and Mr. Buchanan for the fire truck, adding that it was expected to enhance the work of the fire fighters in St. Elizabeth.
“The Jamaica Fire Brigade is extremely thankful for this donation. Over the years, we have been plagued with repairs to the vehicles. We were blessed last year when we got 33 trucks and now we have another one added to the fleet, which I am sure will go a far way in enhancing our capabilities,” he said.
The JR Group has been in operation in Jamaica since 1980 and has been responsible for supplying in excess of 200 trucks to the island’s cane farmers and 440 buses to the Government. This is the third fire truck that the JR Group has donated to Jamaica over the last three years.