The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will, on Wednesday (January 20), host an Earthquake Awareness Open Day in Port Royal for primary and secondary schools in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. The event forms part of the organisation’s activities in recognition of January as Earthquake Awareness Month under the theme: Earthquake Safety – Don’t be Scared, Be Prepared....

Non-emergency calls to the police 119 number are clogging up the system and may prevent a quick response to genuine emergencies. Head of the Police Emergency Communication Centre, Superintendent Gairy Francis, told JIS News that the centre receives 33,000 calls per day, which is about 24 calls per minute. Of that number, about 23,000 or 70 per cent are for...

The Firearms (Amendment) Act 2015, which will improve the operational and financial effectiveness of the Firearms Licensing Authority, was passed in the Senate on Friday (January 15). The Bill, which was piloted by Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding, was passed with one amendment. It seeks to remove the requirement for the FLA to refund the fees paid...

Director of Manpower Services in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Andrea Miller-Stennett, is imploring members of the public to contact the Ministry to verify the legitimacy of agencies offering jobs overseas, in order to guard against employment scams. “We have situations out there where persons are being scammed. Persons are coming to them promising jobs overseas... and we...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the Ministry is seeking to put measures in place to increase the participation of female workers in the overseas employment programmes. The Minister was speaking at the 2016 dispatch ceremony for some 310 participants in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SWAP) at the Overseas Employment Services Centre at...

The management of the Meliá Braco Village Hotel in Trelawny has committed to ensuring that the hotel contributes to the development of communities within the vicinity of the 24-acre property and the wider parish. “It is my absolute intention to ensure the parish of Trelawny sees the direct and immediate benefits,” said General Manager, Dmitri Kosvogiannis. “We are on an...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) will be increasing its assistance to victims of fire in the new year. “The country will see the brigade going beyond the traditional call of duty and will offer more charity to families affected by fire,” said Assistant Commissioner in charge of Fire Prevention, Sean Martin. He was speaking to JIS News shortly after making...