BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE fire fighting fleet of the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services received a fillip when a state-of-the-art fire tender was handed over to Chief Fire Officer Everette O’Garro.
The event took place today (May 21) at a simple but very significant ceremony at the Basseterre Fire Station in the presence of Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Osbert De Suza; Commander of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace; Retired Chief Fire Officer Uriel Hensley; former Deputy Fire Chief James Warner; David Beard, representative of INDOCOM Ltd. (Trinidad); and Senior and Junior Fire Officers of the Department.
Described as the Ultimate Urban Interface Vehicle, the fire tender was designed and manufactured by Rosenbauer America and acquired through its agents INDOCOM.
In his brief remarks, Chief O’Garro said the Rosenbauer Timberwolf fire tender is appropriately equipped with an abundance of fresh and upgraded features which “definitely would enhance and modernise the overall response capabilities of the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services”.
He also said that it is fitted with state-of-the-art cutting edge technology, which would help the firefighters to deliver quality service and to keep pace with the rapid state of development taking place in the Federation.
O’Garro declared that the arrival of the tender is timely, as the Fire Department is currently experiencing an astronomical increase in bush fires.
“I am sure that most of you would have learnt via the media of the huge increase in wildland or bush fires our Department has been responding to. In fact, for the past three years, our statistics has shown an average increase of around 28 percent in the incidents of brush fires. In addition to this, for the past three years, around 80 percent of the emergencies responded to were brush fires.”
He informed that the custom made vehicle was purchased at the cost of EC$1M.
O’Garro also informed that the fire tender is aptly suited for the type of terrain in which they battle bush fires due to its four-wheel drive capability and increase elevation from the ground, which allows it to be deployed and operate in bushy mountainous areas.
He explained that it is equipped with a tank that has a capacity for 750 gallons of water, a 30-gallon foam storage tank, a 1 000-gallon per minute pump, as well as two hoses attached to both sides of the vehicle.
Chief O’Garro indicated that the new fire tender would be based at the Basseterre Fire Department and admonished all drivers, maintenance personnel and supervisors to ensure that all Standing Operating Procedures are strictly adhered to when operating the appliance.
He also indicated that with due care he would like to know that the vehicle exceeds a 30-year lifespan.
Chief Fire Officer thanked the Government for providing the appliance and also the supply agents, INDOCOM, for ensuring it was designed in line with the Department’s requisite requirements and needs.
He concluded by saying: “As we move forward with our relatively arduous nature of rescue and fire fighting duties, let us continue to work as a team and bear in mind our core operational objective, which is to save lives and protect property.”
The state-of-the-art Rosenbauer Timberwolf fire tender was blessed by Superintendent and Chaplain of the Royal St. Christopher Police Force, Pastor Leroy Benjamin.
