Jamaica Fire Brigade To Get Eight New Trucks
By: September 19, 2019 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- “We are providing eight brand-new trucks at a cost of over $400 million,” he said.
- “When we take into consideration the trucks that we {got] from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) from the last financial year and this financial year, the Fire Brigade will have at least some16 new trucks at its disposal, including water tankers,” he noted.
The Full Story
Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) will be getting an additional eight trucks to bolster the country’s firefighting capacity.
“We are providing eight brand-new trucks at a cost of over $400 million,” he said.
“When we take into consideration the trucks that we {got] from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) from the last financial year and this financial year, the Fire Brigade will have at least some16 new trucks at its disposal, including water tankers,” he noted.
Minister McKenzie was speaking to journalists after a recent tour of the Barnett Street Fire Station construction project in Montego Bay, St. James.
JSIF is funding the works at a cost of $534.9 million under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Programme (DVRP).
The new fire station, which will have capacity to house 200 firefighters, will replace the old Barnett Street facility that was demolished in 2006. Since then, firefighters have been operating from the Montego Freeport.
Minster McKenzie expressed gratitude to JSIF for funding the construction of the new fire station and improving works at other facilities across the island
“We have had a very good relationship with JSIF and I [hope to] continue that relationship, using the DVRP, to upgrade and to build new facilities across the country,” he said.
The DVRP supports the Government’s overall thrust in strengthening climate and disaster-risk management within the wider context of sustainable development. This includes construction of national priority infrastructure, such as fire stations.
For his part, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, has committed to reserving an additional 10 parking spaces at the nearby Harbour Street Car Park for firefighters who will be based at the Barnett Street Fire Station upon its completion.