Firefighting capability to improve with construction of US$1.4M fireboat
DPI, GUYANA, Wednesday, September 13, 2017
A contract was awarded for the construction of a US$1.4M fire boat which will be stationed at the Demerara Harbor. This was disclosed by the Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Angloco Limited, a company based in the United Kingdom, is tasked with the construction of the massive vessel. The Fire Chief described the vessel’s construction as ‘monumental’. Guyana last possessed a fire boat in 1978.
Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle.
Gentle noted that over the years there has been much development of Guyana’s waterfronts, adding that there is the potential for more port facilities, which warranted the need for the fireboat.
“It heralds the need for this type of equipment so that we can have some sort of port protection for our storage, our wharfs, ware houses and so on the water front, and also a fire boat is also a very useful piece of equipment for shore support in terms of land base firefighting operations”, the Fire Chief explained.
According to Gentle, the vessel will improve the Guyana Fire Service’s marine firefighting and response capability as it will be able to pump in excess of 5000 gallons of water per minute to support aforementioned land based operations.
Gentle pointed out that the vessel, “will take somewhere between nine and ten months to complete. In the meantime, the Guyana Fire Service is considering other facilities that will have to support this vessel in terms of birthing facilities, and the staffing to man this new piece of equipment.”
The fire vessel’s construction is one of the Guyana Fire Service’s major projects being undertaken, coming out of the 2017 National Budget. It is another step by the GPF to improve its firefight capability.
Earlier in the year, the GPF constructed a firefighting simulator at Leonora, Region Three which was certified as meeting international standards by Angloco Limited. The training simulator provides a secure environment to learn ventilation techniques, recognise dangerous situations and is intended to provide real time firefighting and rescue experiences to GFS ranks.
By: Isaiah Braithwaite