From Sirens to Service: The Lifelong Call of Errol Mowatt

Former Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Errol Mowatt, has been formally recognised for his 41 years of dedicated service to the field of Fire and Emergency Service and for contributing to the continuous development of the JFB.

He was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer on October 20, during the Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards at King’s House, a symbolic culmination of a journey defined by resilience, leadership and a commitment to public service.

In an interview with JIS News, he shared that as a young boy walking through the streets of St. James with his aunt, he heard a sound that defined the rest of his life.

“I heard a siren coming. Prior to that, the only siren you heard back in those days was the police siren, and even that was rare. I kept looking behind me and my aunt held me very firmly,” he recalled, his voice steeped in memory.

What came speeding around the corner was a fire truck – a bright, red engine with firefighters swiftly suiting up in the back.

“I was so excited just to see the fire truck. I think I was about 12 years old. From that day, I just wanted to be a firefighter. That feeling of excitement every time I thought about a fire truck never left me and the only Christmas gift that they could buy me was a fire truck,” he told JIS News, the passion still alive in his tone decades later.

That childhood moment in St. James sparked a fire in Mr. Mowatt – one that would burn for more than four decades.

Jamaica’s first Fire Brigade was established under the Kingston and St. Andrew Fire Brigade Act, with others forming across the country under the Parochial Fire Brigade Act.

Until 1988 when the Fire Brigade Act replaced the other Acts, Jamaica had 13 separate brigades.

Though Mr. Mowatt had ambitions of firefighting from a young age, the road to the Fire Brigade was not immediate.

When he first applied, he was turned away – too young, they said.

Young men in his community who were accepted kept him informed about the next intake and at age 19, Mr. Mowatt joined the Westmoreland Parish Brigade in 1975.

There was just one fire station in Savanna-la-Mar in the parish but, in time, another was built in Negril and he worked between both locations.

These 13 brigades were brought under a central command known as the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) in 1995 and Mr. Mowatt’s first post in the JFB was that of Senior Deputy Superintendent.

A chance conversation with the then Commissioner, appointed from the Jamaica Defence Force, would prove pivotal.

That interaction led to a training opportunity in England, where Mr. Mowatt attended the Fire Service College.

There, he completed the International Divisional Command and International Brigade Command courses on separate occasions, over a six- and four-month period, respectively.

These courses strengthened his leadership capabilities and aligned him with England’s fire service model, which heavily influenced Jamaica’s own system.

His commitment to growth also led him to pursue a Diploma in Public Sector Senior Management Development from the Management Institute for National Development (MIND).

Upon returning, Mr. Mowatt climbed the rungs of the JFB ladder steadily.

He served as Superintendent in St. James, then Assistant Commissioner, managing divisions that spanned Trelawny, St. Ann, St. James and Portland.

He was eventually appointed Deputy Commissioner and when the position of Commissioner became vacant in 2013, Mr. Mowatt’s years of service, qualifications and leadership stood out and he was selected to lead the entity.

During his tenure as Commissioner, he told JIS News that he recognised the limitations of the National Budget and entered into critical discussions with the World Bank through the Ministry of Local Government.

Mr. Mowatt shared that the international agreement was incomplete and so when he sent in his retirement request, the board called him to a meeting to discuss whether he was prepared to do another two years on contract.

He agreed to a one-year extension and officially retired in 2016.

The partnership with the World Bank bore fruit, resulting in the construction of three new fire stations in Montego Bay, Yallahs and Port Maria, as well as additional equipment and training for firefighters.

Now, nearly a decade after his retirement, Mr. Mowatt’s work has been recognised at the highest level with the Order of Distinction.

“It means that those in the Fire Brigade and the Government would have seen the efforts that I’ve made over the many, many years in support of the Fire Brigade and that those efforts were not in vain; it means a lot to me. It means that my work was taken note of,” he reflected.

Even in retirement, Mr. Mowatt’s vision for the JFB is unwavering.

“I’d like a Fire Brigade that is the envy of the world. A Fire Brigade that the citizens of Jamaica have the full confidence in – that if you have an emergency, when you call the Fire Brigade, the Fire Brigade is going to respond in the appropriate time and their work will resolve whatever the emergency was. A First-World Fire Brigade,” he told JIS News.

Mr. Mowatt shared that this would require an increase in the number of fire stations across the island.

He recalled conducting a fire cover review of Jamaica during his training in England, which concluded that an additional 18 fire stations were needed.

“I think we need to have another 30 fire stations by now,” he said.