Bush Fire Gives Norbrook Residents A Scare

Firefighters were last night struggling to contain a raging bush fire which broke out in the hills of Norbrook Heights and threatened several upscale homes.

The angry flames, stoked by gusty winds and dry conditions, spread at a frenetic pace leaving firefighters rushing to various sections of the hills in an effort to contain the inferno.

The fire came agonisingly close to the two-storey house owned by Stanley and Carol Gordon at 61 Sunset Boulevard.

The flames swept through the dry shrubbery on the hillside near the house and threatened to engulf the residence, but firefighters valiantly fought back the flames with fire hoses and sticks.

"We got calls from our relatives and friends on the other side of the hill that the fire had broken out and was burning down another side of the hill. By the time we know, the fire spread around here," Carol Gordon said as firemen soaked her shingle roof and wet the area surrounding her house to temporarily quench the crackling flames.

But the Gordons were not the only ones whose house was threatened by the fire. At least three other houses in the same neighbourhood were affected.

One resident said a blast of sparks nearly caused his house to become engulfed in flames and was grateful for the efforts of the firemen.

"We were watching the fire when a big gust of wind just lift up a ball of flames and dash it right inside the house," said the resident. "It was a powerful gust and if it were not for the quick action of the firemen, the house would be burnt to the ground."

But while the firefighters had brought the flames at Sunset Boulevard under control, another section of the hill close by caught fire and lit up the sky, forcing the firemen to reel in their hoses and rush to that area.

"We are trying to get more trucks as this fire is behaving rougish," one firefighter said as he jumped on a truck that sped off in the direction of the new outbreak.

As the firemen worked feverishly to contain the bush blaze, several residents of Norbrook Circle stood in a huddle and looked on nervously.

Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com

Firefighters Ignite The Spirit Of Learning

Firefighters are known for their valiant efforts to save and rescue persons and property from the searing arms of fire.

Those who have had the opportunity to witness them in action know the levels of bravery associated with the job.

However, few are aware of another bold aspect of their undertakings. In one of their most recent initiatives, firefighters are not seeking to quench but ignite a different kind of flame - flames of learning.

Homework centre for students

Under the supervision of Dolphin Doeman, deputy superintendent in charge of the Trelawny division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, personnel stationed at the Falmouth branch have started various outreach programmes.

Chief among them is a well-needed homework centre for students, operated from the conference room at the Falmouth Fire Station.

The 60 men and women assigned to the station play an integral role in the running of the centre, which started in September 2008.

The idea for the centre stemmed from the recognised need to maintain some form of interaction between the firemen and the neighbouring communities and to assist students who live in and around Falmouth.

Readily accepted

The homework centre forms part of a new approach of the Jamaica Fire Brigade being piloted by Deputy Commissioner Neil Findlay.

"The schools that were targeted were Falmouth All-Age and Hague Primary and Junior High because they are close to the Falmouth Fire Station," said Doeman.

He said that when the idea for the homework centre was presented at parent-teacher meetings, it was readily accepted.

"And so on September 22, 2008, the centre was opened with 11 students on the first day. This number has grown and we have in excess of 70 students enrolled," he reported.

The popular programme is being run at no cost to the students and a prominent supermarket in Falmouth assists the fire brigade in providing refresh-ments for the students in the evenings.

Doeman pointed out that "on a daily basis, the centre is manned by fire brigade personnel, who are always in attendance once students are there".

The centre is opened Mondays to Fridays from around 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Dane Smith, one of the officers who assists with the daily operation of the centre, believes the project is worthwhile, pointing out that it assisted the fire brigade in reaching out to the communities with its programmes.

Dual role

"The best place to start is with the little children, so when they come in, we can impart not only the mathematics and the English, but we can also teach them about fire-safety measures," he said.

Ann-Marie Smith, a parent whose eight-year-old son attends the centre, had nothing but complimentary remarks for the firefighters.

"I sincerely hope that this programme can continue for a long time and will be promoted within the schools in the area, so that all the youngsters coming up can get an opportunity to benefit from it," she said.

Source: www.jamaica-gleaner.com

The Jamaica Fire Brigade

The Fire Service in Jamaica was established in October 1871 with the formation of the Kingston Fire Brigade to satisfy the need for a trained and equipped Fire Service to be responsive to growth in housing, industrial and commercial developments in Kingston following a spate of large fires which had ravaged sections of the City's commercial sectors. Operating from Sutton Street in downtown Kingston, the Brigade was then comprised of a horse-drawn steam pump and a small number of men under the command of a Scotsman - Alexander McFarlane.

As the City grew, the need for wider fire coverage gave rise to the first sub-station, Half-Way-Tree, which opened in the late 1930s. In keeping pace with the developments a new Headquarters, York Park, was opened in November 1944 housing at the time sixty-nine men, six firefighting vehicles and a utility car. Operating under the aegis of the Kingston and St. Andrew Fire Brigade (KSA) Act, the KSA Fire Brigade was primarily for "...the protection of life and property from the ravages of fire within the limits of the Corporate area ..." The rural Parishes in the Island were not without their own defence against fire hazards and under the Parochial Fire Brigade Act twelve Parish Fire Brigades were established at various times in: St. Catherine - 1933, St. Elizabeth - 1934, Portland - 1936, St. James - 1942, St. Mary - 1948, St. Ann - 1951, Trelawny and Hanover - 1957, St. Thomas, Clarendon and Manchester - 1958, and Westmoreland - 1961.

These thirteen dis-joined Parish Brigades were all funded by Central Government but continued as fragmented parochial entities. It was always the perception in the post-independence years that for greater cost effectiveness, more efficient fire coverage, greater command and control, among other things, the fragmented Brigades should all be re-organized, unified and made answerable to one central command. Steps to bring about this unification were finally taken in October of 1988 with the passing of the Fire Brigade Act which repealed the Kingston and St. Andrew Fire Brigade Act and the Parochial Fire Brigade Act "....and established in and for (all) Jamaica a national Fire Service (thereafter) to be called the Jamaica Fire Brigade..." - one unified, national organization unfettered by parochial restrictions.

Recently the Jamaica Fire Brigade had a two weeks promotional exam where members did a paper one (01) in theory and paper two (02) in a practical settings, also ninety-eight recruits have from intake thirteen (13) graduated from the Jamaica Fire Brigade training depot (Rented Site) and are posted at some stations across the island that are in dire need of manpower http://www.jamaicafirebrigade.org/intake13.html