Latest update April 7th, 2026 12:30 AM
$25M fire station to complement growth of upper EBD
By Zena Henry
To complement the growth of the upper East Bank of Demerara (EBD) communities and the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the government has allocated some $25M for the construction of a new fire station.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle
Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle told Kaieteur News yesterday that the service is looking forward to the new station as it would significantly aid in delivering service to the upper Demerara region.
He said that the project will be done in two phases and the facility is likely to be completed by next year.
The first phase entails the location and land preparation and later, the construction of the facility, which will service regions just outside of Diamond; Friendship and areas in the lower Soesdyke/ Linden Highway.
The Fire Chief noted that the establishment of the fire station is also necessary for the improvement of the international airport, since it will serve the surrounding areas.
While it was noted that fire occurrences are not as prevalent, the fire chief did recognize that the station is a move in forward thinking since the communities in those EBD locations are growing with housing schemes, settlements and business development.
Additionally, Gentle mentioned, the fire service through the government is moving to secure two aviation crash tenders for full coverage of the Ogle International Airport located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). CJIA at Timehri is also slated to get one aircraft crash tender to complement the existing fleet.
Kaieteur News understands that currently there are not adequate crash tenders required for the two major airports.
The new station outside of Diamond will be equipped with one fire tender and some 21 fire fighters; seven to complement each of the three shift systems.
Last year, a $20M fire station was opened in Diamond – one of the country’s largest housing schemes.
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