Funeral Service Tomorrow For Former Fire Chief

The Caribbean Fire Service fraternity will gather tomorrow on the island of Dominica in a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Julien Baptiste former Chief Fire Officer of the Dominica Fire and Ambulance Service.

The Dominican Fire Service family was in a state of mourning after being informed of Baptiste’s death on April 18, 2009. Baptiste reportedly died in Cuba where he was receiving medical treatment for an ailing kidney condition.

We take this opportunity to extend our sincere condolences and prayers to the family of Fire Chief Baptiste and the entire Dominica Fire and Ambulance Service.

Source: www.bajanfirefighters.blogspot.com

Fire Service Sports Club Receives Donation

The Barbados Fire Service Sports and Social Club received a donation of a color television from PriceSmart Barbados on Tuesday. In accepting the donation Club Secretary Ryan Mayers stated that the gift was quite timely and expressed the desire to see more corporate entities supporting the Fire Service Sports Club.

Maurice Forde, Membership Marketing Manager made the donation on behalf of PriceSmart. Mr. Forde said his company was pleased to present the donation to the Fire Service Sports and Social Club. The presentation was witnessed by several members of the Club.

Fire Service Participates In FAHUM 2009 Exercise

The annual regional disaster relief exercise known as ‘Fuersas Aliadas Humanitarias’ (FAHUM) was held on Friday across the 16 Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) member states.

More than 10 agencies were in attendance at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) located at the offices of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) in Warrens, St. Michael.

This year’s exercise allowed the participants to test the response mechanism for pandemic influenza. A four member team from the Barbados Fire Service was in attendance for the exercise and coordinated the department’s response. Of significance this year was the use of the WebEOC incident management application during the exercise.

The WebEOC hardware and software is currently being installed at the Department of Emergency Management and members of the emergency services are expected to start training with the software soon.

WebEOC will be available for use during the 2009 hurricane season where it will be further tested and it is expected that the system will be fully operational in all CDERA States by the end of 2010.

A total of 25 countries are participating in FAHUM this year, the exercise concludes on April 25.

Fire Service Mourns The Loss Of Duncan Walcott

Members of the Barbados Fire Service joined family and friends in a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Duncan Chesterfield Walcott BSM (retired Station Officer) at the St. John Parish Church on Tuesday.

It was with great sadness that the firefighting fraternity learned of the death of Mr. Walcott. Duncan Walcott served in the Fire Service for 34 years and retired on October 1, 1999 at the age of 57.

He enlisted in the Barbados Fire Service on October 1, 1965. During his extensive career in the Service he was assigned to several areas including the St. John Fire Station, Airport Fire Station and Fire Service Headquarters. He also had the distinction of completing several overseas training stints at Base Borden in Canada and the Caribbean Aviation Training Institute in Trinidad. For his hard work and dedication he was awarded the Barbados Service Medal of Honour in 1983.

The members and staff of the Barbados Fire Service take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to the family for the outstanding service rendered by Duncan Chesterfield Walcott.

One Fatality After Major Fire At New Orleans

Fifteen people are homeless following a major fire which destroyed four houses and damaged two others at 8th Avenue New Orleans, St. Michael early this morning.

A 10 year-old-boy is also a fatality as a result of the fire. His body was discovered in the debris after firefighters had extinguished the fire.

The fire which started in the early hours of the morning quickly spread through the densely populated district.

Approximately 16 officers with 5 fire tenders under the command of Deputy Chief Fire Officer Eric Rice with Station Officers Wilfred Marshall and Trevor Applewhaite responded to the blaze.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.

Fire Erupts At Asphalt Plant

Firefighters from Fire Service Headquarters and the Arch Hall Fire Station rushed to the C.O.Williams Asphalt Plant at Lears Road, St Michael yesterday after fire broke out there.

Approximately 15 firefighters with three fire tenders under the command of acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer Eric Rice and Station Officer Evans Morris used foam to contain the fire that engulfed three 40 foot containers of bitumen.

The fire erupted when diesel which was being delivered in a truck, overflowed and came into contact with a heater which was on the ground.

Fire then quickly spread to the storage containers igniting the asphalt. Thick black smoke could be seen from several miles away as employees and other onlookers hurried to safety. Two water tankers from C.O.Williams Construction assisted firefighters with the delivery of water to the incident scene.

Two persons received minor injuries as a result of yesterday's fire.

Fire Destroys One House And Damages 3 Others

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 11:25 hours, 15 officers from Fire Service Headquarters under the command of acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer Eric Rice and Station Officer Wilfred Marshall responded with three fire tenders to a house fire at Chapman Lane, St. Michael.

One stone and timber building with contents was completely destroyed and three others slightly damaged by fire. One female observer at the fire scene suffered minor injuries after stepping on a live power line. (HQFS)

Tractor And Truck Involved In Collision

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 11:16 hours, nine officers from Fire Service Headquarters and Arch Hall Fire Station under the command of Divisional Officer Lloydson Phillips responded with one fire tender and the rescue tender to a motor vehicle accident on Highway 2A, near Bennetts, St. Thomas.

The collision occurred near the Sandy Lane junction and involved a truck and a tractor. Two persons sustained injuries, both vehicles were extensively damaged. (HQFS, AHFS)

16 Year-Old-Boy Saves House From Being Burnt

Early Morning City Fire Ravages Two Homes

Residents of Spruce Street, The City, awoke to find two homes in their neighbourhood engulfed in flames early yesterday morning. The fire completely destroyed an unoccupied house and extensively damaged another before fire officers could contain the blaze.

Ten officers with two fire tenders from Fire Service Headquarters under the command of Divisional Officer Lloydson Phillips and Station Officer Evans Morris attended the incident.

Two persons were reported to be displaced as a result of yesterday’s blaze.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.

Firefighters Complete Marine Firefighting Training

Twenty-four firefighters from the Barbados Fire Service and two members of the Barbados Coast Guard created history on Friday when they successfully completed the first Marine Firefighting for Land-based Firefighters training course.

The one week training programme sought to expose the participants to firefighting techniques and concepts which would enable them to effectively mitigate incidents in a marine environment. The course was conducted by the Barbados Fire Service in collaboration with Hillsborough Community College and the Barbados Community College.

Course instructor Keith Williams commended the participants for the dedication and commitment shown during the training programme. He also urged them to utilise the knowledge and skills obtained from the course and encouraged them to pursue additional training in this area with a view to strenghening the fire departments capacity to respond to marine incidents.

The closing ceremony was held at the Barbados Community College Industry Services Unit on the Harbour Road, and was attended by Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Ms. Dianne Campbell, acting Deputy Principal of the Barbados Community College Dr. Sylvia Hackett, Lieutenant Commander Shurland of the Barbados Coast Guard, acting Chief Fire Officer Eric Rice and other Fire Service officials.

Three Treated For Injuries At Vehicle Accident

On Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 16:46 hours, fire officers from Fire Service Headquarters responded with the rescue tender to a motor vehicle accident at St. Stephen's Hill, St. Michael.

The accident involved a motor van and truck. The van was extensively damaged to the front while the truck was slightly damaged. Four persons were involved, one female had to be extricated by fire officers using the jaws-of-life. (HQFS)

Four Injured In Vehicle Accident At Exchange

On Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 11:32 hours, fire officers from Fire Service Headquarters and Arch Hall Fire Station under the command of Station Officers Ormond Fenty and Willis O'Neale responded with one water tender and the rescue tender to a motor vehicle accident at Exchange, St. Thomas.

The accident involved a delta truck and a motor van. Four persons were injured, two persons had to be extricated by firefighters using the jaws-of-life, both vehicles involved were extensively damaged. (HQFS, AHFS)