ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, February 8th, 2012 – Leading Fire Officers and Emergency Medical Technicians Messrs Benson Thomas and Gaston Walters are currently on an attachment with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Brigade in the United Kingdom from February 6th to 24th as the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue services continues to build capacity.

According to Acting Chief Fire Officer, Mr. William Penn the officers will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge and will have firsthand experience in many emergency situations. “They will have an opportunity to observe operational activity from a mobilising and control centre, they will be exposed to a major incident involving a collapsed building, and they will be trained in dealing with hazardous materials and situations as part of this attachment,” Mr. Penn explained.

In addition the officers will also have a chance to spend time with the Arson Task Force and High Risk Teams, they will be given the opportunity to work with an operational crew at a busy city centre fire station and will take a refresher course in breathing apparatus use among other activities.

"As an institution it is imperative that officers possess certain qualifications to provide high quality services that our customers expect and it is my responsibility to ensure that the officers are trained and developed to meet and surpass all expectations,” he said.

Mr. Penn explained that the reason why these officers were chosen for this particular training is to complete the competencies of their rank as they have been identified as future leaders within the institution.

“Those two officers have completed a wide range of competencies which includes degrees, the EMT program and now this attachment with all its components will allow the officers to have the requisite training in the other areas to complete the requirements of their current rank and propel them towards the rank of Sub- Officer,” Mr. Penn noted.

The Acting Chief also told the Department of Information and Public Relations that Sub Officer Elvin Forbes attended a Fire Investigation Course at the Fire Service College, in the UK from 23rd January to 3 February. The programme was developed and delivered in conjunction with the National Police Improvement Agency for fire and forensic investigators.

The Fire and Rescue Service is committed to protecting life and property from the effects of fire and all other man-made and natural accidents and disasters.

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