One hundred and fifty years ago, the Jamaica Fire Service was established after the city of Kingston was affected by a series of large fires. The service was officially launched in October 1871 to address the country’s need for an organised fire service. The first fire brigade was established under the Kingston and St. Andrew Fire Brigade Act with others...

Jamaica’s primary health sector continues to benefit from infrastructure strengthening through support from the European Union (EU) under the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP). The longstanding programme, which is currently in its fourth phase, is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). It is focused on improving living conditions in underserved communities by providing access to quality basic infrastructure...

To date, 730,548 trees have been distributed/planted under the National Tree Planting Initiative, and the environment has been that much better for it. By simply planting tree seedlings since the project began two years ago, over 14 tonnes of pollutants have been removed from the air; 574.3 million gallons of water have been filtered; and more than 4,490 tonnes of...

Teachers at August Town Primary school in St. Andrew say they have noticed weekly improvements in the quality of work by the students since the return to face-to-face classes. This follows a noticeable dependence by students on computer assistance during online learning. “What the teachers have noticed is that in the physical space the quality of work is different. So...

More than two million hazardous, used tyres are to be removed from the Riverton City disposal site in St. Andrew under a 10-year project, which will eventually extend to other garbage disposal facilities across the island. Already, over 8,700 tyres have been taken from the Riverton facility under the National Programme for the Environmentally Sound Management of End-of-Life Pneumatic Tyres,...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has welcomed a new partnership between Chukka Caribbean Adventures, and J. Wray & Nephew Limited, as a “big game changer” for Jamaica’s south coast tourism. Speaking to JIS News, Mr. Bartlett, who is currently attending a major global forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), says the partnership, which went into effect on December...

There are currently more than 9,000 Justices of the Peace (JPs) serving within communities across the island. They are characterised as persons of unquestionable integrity who seek to promote and protect the rights of individuals and help to give justice to those persons in a particular community. According to the Ministry of Justice, any citizen, club, organisation or other such...

The Trelawny 4-H Club has expanded and diversified its online programmes to meet training needs during the pandemic. Parish Manager, Natanish Hines, tells JIS News that the move is in response to the growth in demand for skills training, including in new areas, as persons look to pivot and identify other income streams. She says that since 2000, “we have...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says his Administration is considering a proposal for legislation to facilitate Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in Jamaica.  “REITs are something that we actually have discussed internally in the Government, and it is being considered,” he stated.  Mr. Holness was delivering the keynote address at a recent symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the development...