Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite; and President of the IABPF, James Hill, have a chat during the proceedings.
FLEET UPGRADE IN THE WORKS
Tue, 08/09/2016 - 12:00am
A fleet renewal is in process for the Barbados Fire Service, says Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite.
Being conducted “even in the face of fiscal challenges”, he stated that steps were being taken to modernise the vehicles in a bid to make it a “progressive organisation”.
Currently, there are 16 fire tenders in the fleet, all of which are being fully utilised. Four of these are stationed at the airport, while the remaining are at the various fire stations across the island. It is expected that an additional three will arrive from England within the next two to three weeks. The last upgrade of the fleet was over a decade ago.
Addressing yesterday’s opening of the International Association of Black Professional Fire-fighters Convention at the Hilton Barbados, he commended the American organisation for its work with young black men, indicating that some of the challenges being experienced in the US with this demographic are also being experienced here and in the wider Caribbean.
“It will be no surprise to you that the challenges you experience in how you use your officers to improve the lot of more of your black men and women in your cities, is also being experienced here and all across the Caribbean, so even in that regard, there may be opportunities to learn from one another,” he said.
In addition, Brathwaite stated that with the island now in the era of high-rise buildings, best practices should be shared to ensure that Barbadian fire-fighters were fully prepared for any such event on these shores. (JMB)