BY JULIA RAWLINS-BENTHAM | OCT 1, 2022
Minister of Home Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, presenting fire officers with their medals during a ceremony at the Arch Hall Fire Station on Friday. (C. Pitt/BGIS)
The selfless sacrifice of the men and women of the Barbados Fire Service (BFS), while experiencing several setbacks, has not gone unnoticed by Government.
Over 80 fire officers were showered with praise from the high command of the BFS and Minister of Home Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, during a medal ceremony for the presentation of Services Medal of Honour awards at the Arch Hall Fire Station on Friday.
Speaking during the ceremony, Mr. Abrahams said: “The medal that you will wear today is not to say that you have achieved. It is an acknowledgement of what you have done for fellow mankind. I encourage you to stay humble and continue to serve.”
The Minister noted that the officers of the BFS continued to perform at the highest level, despite having challenges and limited resources. These included weathering the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, while still serving and keeping the public safe.
Pointing out that this was about to change as the Service would be provided with additional support, he said: “You currently have 20 officers in training and another 24 should be joining them in another month or so. We as a Government are working on ensuring that you have enough personnel to continue to effective service the public of Barbados.”
Mr. Abrahams also stated that the Ministry was working towards ensuring that “long-awaited” promotions were addressed in a transparent manner and in the shortest timeframe.
While commending the BFS for embracing technology, and moving from a paper-based operation to one that is technologically driven and virtually paperless, he said: “The Service has also adopted technical and rope rescue procedures, which can greatly assist as it pursues the call to assist in the provision of pre-hospital emergency care for people resident in Barbados. You must be commended for these achievements.”
He further encouraged the command team to ensure that every member of the Service be afforded the training needed to allow them to continue performing at the highest level.
However, Mr. Abrahams urged the fire officers to ensure that they “served themselves” by taking care of their health, as they operated in a highly stressed job.
Meanwhile, Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard, saluting the fire officers for their yeomen service and commitment to the job, said: “Wear your medal with pride and honour.”
He also revealed that a ceremony would be held at a later date for those officers who were on duty or had engagements that resulted in them being unable to attend the event, and they would be recognised.
