Fire hydrants play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of communities by providing readily accessible water for firefighting purposes. However, despite their importance, fire hydrants are often misused and abused by the public. Commissioner, Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Stewart Beckford, tells JIS News that the devices are the “lifeblood” of the Brigade’s operation and “without them we are really...

Two civil society organisations (CSOs), Children First and the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), have been engaged under the Social Justice (SO-JUST) Project to provide access to justice services for the society’s most vulnerable. The aim is to facilitate these provisions for persons with hearing impairments and children in contact and conflict with the law. Implemented by the United...

Retired Educator, Casilda Allen, says her decision to become an educator was born out of the need to spend more time with her two young children. In an interview with JIS News, Mrs. Allen shared that after completing elementary school, she gained employment at the People’s Cooperative (PC) Bank in St. Mary, where she stayed for several years. However, on...

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...

Ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are being encouraged to take advantage of the support available to them under the Canada-CARICOM Expert Deployment Mechanism (CCEDM). The CCEDM is a four-year programme, funded by Global Affairs Canada for the benefit of CARICOM nations, that offers technical assistance in priority areas identified by the beneficiary governments. It is being implemented locally by the...

The Government is transforming service delivery to better respond to the needs of the public and create enhanced experiences for customers, through the development of a Service Excellence Policy. Recently launched by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, the policy outlines key principles and minimum service standards for all government entities. It also specifies the mechanism by which service...

Kingston, the seat of Government and the capital of Jamaica, is the centre of trade and commerce in the island, with many companies and organisations having a base there. The 330-year-old city, which includes the bustling downtown market district, has the seventh largest natural harbour in the world, is a cultural Mecca, bursting with important heritage sites and attractions and...

The Social Development Commission (SDC), through its flagship initiative, Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP), has been stimulating sustainable Local Economic Initiatives (LEIs) in communities across St. Elizabeth. This is evident in the Maggotty and Retirement areas whose LEIs were recipients of grants under the programme. The Merrywood Woodcrafters’ Creations in Maggotty, owned and operated by the Merrywood Community Development...