Fire and Life Safety Officer in the Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Unit of the Barbados Fire Service Natasha Forde (right) shares some fire prevention tips with (left to right) Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs Wilfred Abrahams; Executive Vice President and General Manager Sagicor Life Insurance Company Paul Inniss and Vice President, Sagicor Group Life & Health Insurance Susan Boyea yesterday morning.
THE donation of five automated external defibrillators yesterday has been described as the beginning of transition for which the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) has been preparing.
The assessment was made by Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard as he thanked Sagicor Life Inc for the donation of the defibrillators, which he said in some ways is a historic occasion for the BFS.
He was speaking at the BFS’ Academy in Arch Hall St. Thomas yesterday where he noted that this transition may have been accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic but it was inevitable.
“In spite of the catalyst the Barbados Fire Service has been evolving and diversifying its product and service to the public of Barbados for a while.”
He said, “While fire is our primary focus, it is not our only concern.”
“As we have positioned ourselves to respond to search and rescue incidents of all sorts; inclusive of inland water rescue. We don’t have the equipment yet to do rescues at sea. We are also fortifying our hazmat capacity.”
The CFO said while the BFS is successfully fortifying its capability to assist in the response to pre-hospital medical incidents, the donation of defibrillators will result in a greater boost in our efforts to augment the Emergency Ambulance Service in their efforts to provide pre-hospital care to the public of Barbados.
Giving some insight into what the Fire Service will be doing in the near future, CFO Maynard revealed that over the next couple of weeks as a pilot project, computers and GPS systems will be installed in fire appliances.
“This will enhance our ability to dispatch the closest vehicle to an incident when there is a call for help, even a medical emergency. This will mimic the traditional 911 system while we await the implementation of such. It will also allow us to complete reports and access data while in the field.”
“We are currently working with the Emergency Ambulance Service and the Barbados Community College to develop a Dispatcher training programme, which we hope that this will be ready at the beginning 2021.”
Additionally, CFO Maynard opined that using highly trained fire officers in a control room or dispatch centre performing dispatching duties is a waste of resources. “Therefore representation has been made to the Ministry of Public Service to have civilian dispatchers appointed to the Barbados Fire Service. I am further of the view that the dispatchers can serve both the BFS and the EAS.”
Maynard also revealed that the BFS has been working with the Media Resource Department (MRD) of the Ministry of Education to develop some educational tools to better serve the public and appeal to all audiences, especially children.
“The result of this consultation will be seen later this month with the relaunching of Benny the Fire Cat; in an animated form to be seen on all appropriate media.”
He expressed gratitude to the management of the Barbados Community College and the Emergency Ambulance Service who facilitated the training of our EMTs and Medical First Responders. “As we speak, a cohort of sixteen (16) are going through the second half of their 12-week EMT programme. Going forward, all new Fire Service recruits will be subject to this training.”
He also he revealed that the Fire Service is in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Understanding with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
“This will formalise our training and re-training programme and ensure that the highest standard of care is main-tained. When approached, the Executive Chair of the QEH was more than willing to work with us. We have also been working with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados to acquire and maintain our CPR and AED training and skills. While the affiliation here is not formalised in the form of a MOU, we have a good and productive working relationship,” he stated. (JH)