Bank of Jamaica wishes to advise that on Monday, 26 February 2024, teller services to members of the public will be closed at 11:00 a.m. In this regard, the public will have access to teller services from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. This is to facilitate the relevant staff members getting time off to vote in the Local Government Elections....

Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Stewart Beckford, says there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of complaints from citizens regarding the Brigade’s response time. He noted that the acquisition of new fire units has increased the JFB’s capacity and response to emergencies. “We procured and received 30 brand-new fire trucks in 2021, and those would have...

Work will continue during fiscal year 2024/25 to upgrade Jamaica’s emergency communication system. The Government has budgeted $1.3 billion to continue initiatives under the ‘Improvement of Emergency Communication System in Jamaica’ Project. This engagement aims to develop a national emergency communication system to coordinate incident response among key government agencies and volunteers. Details of the project are outlined in the...

The Government will be purchasing another 50 compactor trucks in the 2024/25 fiscal year to improve garbage collection islandwide. A sum of $916 million has been budgeted for the acquisition, which represents the second consignment of units for the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NWSMA) to bolster the operations of the entity. An initial batch of 50 new trucks were...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has reported that for calendar year 2023, there was a 20.8 per cent increase in the number of fires resulting from motor-vehicle crashes when compared to 2022. At the end of last year, the JFB responded to 453 calls for motor-vehicle fires, up from 375 the previous year. Motor-vehicle accidents increased from 1,079 in 2022...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has reported a 21.1 per cent increase in the number of commercial-building fires responded to in 2023, when compared to the previous year. Commercial-building fires are among the types of structural fires the JFB responds to in the execution of its duties. Last year, they responded to 1,645 structural fires, which included 343 commercial fires,...

Farmers who use the slash-and-burn technique to clear their fields are being urged to seek guidance from the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) to prevent bush fires. The call comes as the country continues to record significantly high increases in bush fires. Speaking with JIS News recently, Commissioner Stewart Beckford said the JFB responded to 6,443 bush fire calls last year....