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The Hanover division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has had to deal with an over 300 per cent increase in fires January-May this year, compared to the similar period last year. According to Superintendent in charge of the division, Paul Hibbert, the dramatic increase was due to the amount of bush fires occurring in the parish in the first...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Manpower and Maintenance Services (MMS), Audrey Hinchcliffe, is encouraging Jamaicans to find opportunities in the current global economic crisis. "Great difficulties are linked to great opportunities, so we need to learn how to turn crises into opportunities," Mrs. Hinchcliffe said. She was guest speaker at the launch of an information fair, dubbed 'H.O.P.E. in Recession...

The first of 10 orientation sessions under the Young Entrepreneurs Programme (YEP), which is targeted at high school and tertiary level students graduating this month, got underway yesterday (June 17) at four locations in Kingston. These were the Garmex HEART Academy; the HEART Trust/NTA Cosmetology School; Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI); and the Rockfort Vocational Training Centre (VTC). YEP was...

The Hanover Parish Council is seeking to identify lands to establish a cemetery to replace the Sandy Bay facility. His Worship the Mayor of Lucea and Chairman of the Hanover Parish Council, Councillor Lloyd Hill, in an interview with JIS News, said that the Parish Council is in discussions with the National Housing Trust (NHT) to gain access to property...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson, has said that greater effort will be made during the current hurricane season, to attract more volunteers to assist in times of disaster. "We have been investing heavily in building our volunteer corps to support our mechanism, to try and get more persons, other than just...

Director of local charity Friends of the Homeless, Dr. Maureen Irons-Morgan, has called for special provisions to be put in place to assist persons, who become homeless during natural disasters. In an interview with JIS News, Dr. Irons-Morgan said that several persons usually become homeless during natural disasters, especially hurricanes, and it is therefore important to have a comprehensive plan...

With the island now a few weeks into the 2009 hurricane season, Disaster Preparedness Co-ordinator for Hanover, Olga Fae Headley, has declared that the parish is prepared to face any disasters, including storms or hurricanes. Speaking with JIS News following a disaster preparedness public education seminar, held at the Hopewell High School, on June 15, Mrs. Headley outlined the preparation...

Disaster Preparedness Co-ordinator for Westmoreland, Hilma Tate, has expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness in the parish for the hurricane season, which began on June 1. "In this parish, we have been working assiduously to ensure that the level of preparedness is at a high. Presently, the main drains in the town and adjoining areas are being cleaned and...

Gender and development consultant, Dr. Glenda Simms, is advocating increased monitoring of material children are exposed to in the media, particularly on television. Delivering the keynote address at the Office of the Children's Advocate's (OCA) inaugural Media Appreciation Breakfast, at the Alhambra Inn, Kingston on Thursday (June 11), Dr. Simms cited television, particularly cable, as a "powerful tool," capable of...

At least 304 young people are participating in an emergency response training programme, which is aimed at strengthening the country's mitigation capacity during a disaster. The four-week course, organised by the National Youth Service (NYS) in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), is being held at the NYS training site at Eco-Village in Chestervale, rural...

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is introducing the workflow Applications Management and Data Automation (AMANDA) system, to improve speed and efficiency in processing development applications. Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Peter Knight, told journalists at a media briefing at NEPA's offices in Kingston on Tuesday (June 9), that AMANDA will facilitate timely tracking and management of all development...

Plans for the relocation of the Jamaica Fire Brigade's (JFB) administrative headquarters from downtown Kingston to Half Way Tree next month have been changed, disclosed State Minister with Responsibility for Local Government in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Montague. The JFB's central operations are, instead, expected to move into unoccupied offices at the Central Sorting Office (CSO)...