Highest Ranked Female in JFB Eyes Top Job

Julian Davis-Buckle is now the highest-ranked female in the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB).

Mrs. Davis-Buckle, who joined the Brigade 27 years ago, has moved through the ranks of the organisation and is now Assistant Commissioner in charge of Area II, which includes Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland.

But her journey in the organisation almost did not happen as she failed her initial interview.

She theorises that her tall and thin frame may have been a major concern for members of the panel but admitted that through her persistence and on the recommendation of the then team Lead on the panel – Frederick Whyte – she prevailed to the next phase of recruitment.

“When I failed the interview and I went back into the room, this was the gentleman that said, ‘give her; let her go to the blood bank’, because I think they were looking at my petiteness,” Mrs. Davis-Buckle says.

“I was super slim so they were trying to protect me, they were saying ‘no, she can’t manage this; she’s not going to be able to manage this’ and I think that was a decision they made at the time,” she tells JIS News.

“Today I stand here to say Sir (Mr. Whyte), thank you, thank you very much for believing in me, in that little thing that you saw, and I strive not to disappoint people like them,” she adds.

Mr. Whyte, who will be recognised for 40 years of outstanding contribution to the JFB at the National Honours and Awards ceremony on Heroes Day, in October, says he remains very proud of Mrs. Davis-Buckle’s achievements.

“I feel very good about her; for years I’ve seen her rise and… I respect her,” he tells JIS News.

He admits that he has a passion for assisting people and helping them to realise their full potential. “I love to help people… . I go out of my way to make sure I help other persons,” he says.

Mrs. Davis-Buckle shares that, over the years, she has continued to invest in her academic achievements and growth and has evolved to meet the needs of the 152-year-old organisation.

“It is a career that I wouldn’t do anything else, and I intend to continue until I reach where I want to reach and the top is where I’m intending to go,” she says.

Mrs. Davis-Buckle is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws with the University of London.

She holds an Associate Degree in Human Resource Management, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Post Graduate Diploma in Public Sector Senior Management and a Public Administration Masters in Disaster and Emergency Management, where she completed as the Valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA.

She is a graduate of the Fire Service College in England where she studied Divisional Command.

“Wherever the study is, I am there. I look in the organisation and see where I need to build myself to fit into the organisation, so you have to make sure you fit into it, and I am cognisant that as a female in a male-dominated job, I have to step my game up and I did just that, and I am doing just that,” she tells JIS News.

Mrs. Davis-Buckle says her career has been fulfilling and encourages young women who are interested in serving their country to enrol in the JFB.

“If you want a career that is fulfilling, if you want a career that has scope for mobility because, as I told you, I started as a firefighter, all you do is come, hold your own, do what you have to do, educate yourself, develop yourself, personal development is very important,” she emphasises.

Mrs. Davis-Buckle says she always encourages female members of the Brigade and strives to always set an example for her daughter.

“I encourage all females who are here… . I encourage them every day – go back to school, get something done, be counted because we are just 12 per cent… and I have a daughter here who I have to set a great example for,” she adds.

Mrs. Davis-Buckle was among a group of 34 persons who have given outstanding service to the Jamaica Fire Brigade and the nation and were presented with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medals.

She tells JIS News that it was an honour and a privilege to be recognsied.

“It gives me great pleasure just to know that my service and my commitment is recognised. It feels good,” she says.

The medals were presented by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during a recent ceremony hosted by the Jamaica Fire Brigade at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew.

The recipients have given cumulatively, approximately 875 years to the people of Jamaica.

The medal was awarded to the emergency service personnel who completed 25 years of service on the February 6, 2022.

Award of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal was one aspect of the platinum jubilee celebrations instituted throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in 2022.

The Queen died on September 8, 2022.

The Fire Service in Jamaica was established in October 1871 with the formation of the Kingston Fire Brigade to satisfy the need for a trained and equipped fire service to be responsive to growth in housing, industrial and commercial developments in Kingston, following a spate of large fires that had ravaged sections of the City’s commercial sectors.