Westmoreland Benefiting from New Fire Units

The enhanced fire-fighting capability of the fire brigade in Westmoreland came to the fore in January, when an estimated $10.4 billion worth of property was saved.. This improved service has resulted from new units that have been provided for the parish. According to Acting Divisional Head of the Westmoreland Fire Department, Assistant Superintendent Michael Mills, the parish of Westmoreland has been helped greatly with the acquisition of new fire units in the country and in the western parish in particular.
“We are now able to respond and deal with fires in a more advanced way based on the new units that we have received and based on the equipment and the volume of water that it carries. We are able to tackle and deal with our emergencies in a more effective and efficient manner,” he said.
“Over the years, we have been plagued with the lack of equipment and regular break-down of units, but since these new units arrived, we are proud to say that we have been able to manoeuvre ourselves in this parish with the new units and the back-ups that we are receiving,” Mr. Mills told JIS News.
He thanked the Government for providing the units, “so that we can better able to serve the public at large and be able to respond as quickly and promptly as is humanly possible”.
Mr. Mills emphasized that the new units have contributed to the significant increase in the value of properties saved, compared to December, which recorded just over $38 million.
He also expressed concern about the state of some of the fire hydrants across the parish, as of the 370 hydrants in the parish, only 119 were in working condition.