By Royan Abrams
Staff from several Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and Town Councils across Regions Five and Six are undergoing training to become volunteer firefighters.
This initiative aims to train at least four employees from each local authority area to serve within their respective communities, enhancing firefighting capacity at the local level.
Upon completion of the training, participants will be stationed at their respective NDCs and municipalities.
They will be expected to respond to fires and take necessary actions until the Guyana Fire Service arrives.
Regional Executive Officer Navindra Persaud highlighted the importance of this initiative, noting the significant losses of homes and lives due to inadequate fire prevention measures in the past.
The government initiated this program and tasked the Guyana Fire Service to focus more on fire prevention.
The more people we train, the better it will be for the community, the village, and the entire country.”
Divisional Fire Officer Channon Crawford stated that this training program will be implemented nationwide.
He emphasized that local government agencies, being major stakeholders, can play a critical role in minimizing the adverse effects of fires.
The training sessions will be conducted in five phases, with two sessions in Region Five and three in Region Six.
The curriculum will focus on fire protection, fire prevention, and firefighting techniques, equipping the participants with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively handle fire emergencies in their communities.