$37M Eccles fire station commissioned

Jun 02, 2022 News

Kaieteur News –The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) will now have a faster response time to fire emergencies along the East Bank of Demerara corridor as a newfire station was commissioned in Eccles on Wednesday.
The new facility which will accommodate two fire tenders and one Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulance was a project executed by Kawal Ramdeen General Construction Company to the tune of $37,868,396.
Commissioning the fire station yesterday was Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn who noted in his remarks that he is very pleased having this facility opened. The minister in a Home Affairs Ministry release said: “this speaks to our intentions of establishing throughout the country, the ability to respond to the challenge of fire, to the challenge of search and rescue, and the challenge of security and safety of our people.”
Also speaking at the ceremony was Fire Chief (ag), Mr. Gregory Wickham who explained that a number of factors were taken into consideration when choosing the ideal location for the Fire Service and indicated this is due to the number of homes and businesses in Eccles and surrounding communities. Wickham expressed his gratitude to the Government particularly in the establishing of Fire Stations and for supplying the relevant firefighting appliances, which he said will aid in the execution of their duties with efficiency and a high level of professionalism.

The Eccles Fire Station is just one of the many that will be opened across the country. During the reading of the 2022 national budget by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, it was revealed that government has budgeted some $508M to continue works at the GFS headquarters at Homestretch Avenue and at Ogle. Part of the money will also be spent on a new fire station at Wales on the West Bank of Demerara and the construction of facilities at New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six.