JFB Engaging in Community Interactions During Fire and Life Safety Awareness Week

Fire stations islandwide will be taking the message of safety directly to citizens during the upcoming Fire and Life Safety Awareness Week, from October 27 to November 2.

Speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s head office in Kingston, JFB Superintendent, Emeleo Ebanks, said to commemorate the Week, being observed under the theme ‘Embracing Digital Innovation to Improve Fire Safety’, the Brigade will be engaging in community interactions.

“Every single fire station across Jamaica will be going out into the communities… into every nook and cranny… [and] we will be having community meetings,” Mr. Ebanks stated.

He informed that the JFB is prepared to engage with residents during any organised activity being hosted.

“If you are having a church service, we will be there [and] if you are having a community meeting, we will be there,” Mr. Ebanks said, adding that the agency will also visit schools, public libraries and community centres.

He explained that connecting with citizens within their own space has always been a key part of how the JFB operates during the annual observance of Fire and Life Safety Awareness Week.

“We sometimes walk the streets and go house to house and provide the information for people, because the reality is, a lot of the times… especially for us in Jamaica, we tend to think that ‘if it has not happened to us yet, it will not happen’,” the Superintendent noted.

He added, “A lot of persons might not be aware of the fact that outside of, certainly in recent memory, one bush fire in St. Elizabeth where we had somebody dying, all the others, as far as I can recall, are residential fires.”

Mr. Ebanks pointed out that, in Jamaica, people lose their lives to residential fires more than any other type of fire.

“So, once we point these things out to people and we show them simple cost-effective measures to protect their homes, then they get the message and we see the feedback from that in the reduction in the number of fires and in the reduction of deaths,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Sean Martin, shared that while the JFB will be going into communities, they will also be active on social media, showcasing a variety of smart fire-safety devices that can be utilised by citizens in their homes and businesses.

“We will be streaming some of our events on our social media pages [and] we will be giving away some smart smoke detectors… so that persons can protect their homes,” Mr. Martin said, adding that there will also be outside broadcasts for all major activities.

Among the slated events are a National Church Service on October 27 at Swallowfield Chapel in Kingston, and a series of expos hosted by each Area, showcasing various smart fire-safety devices and how they can be integrated into daily fire-safety practices.

The expo for Area Four will be held on October 29 at the Black River Fire Station in St. Elizabeth; Area Two, on October 30 at the Port Antonio Fire Station in Portland; Area Three, on October 31 in Mandeville, Manchester, and Area One, on November 1 at St. William Grant Park in Kingston.

A Firefighter’s Ball is slated for Saturday, November 2, at Royalton Resort in Negril.

Deputy Commissioner Martin said citizens may also visit any fire stations islandwide to ask questions and get information.