Some 44 firefighting recruits and 30 emergency technicians graduated Friday following a nine-week technical training at the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) training Centre at Leonora, Region Three.
The training programme provided basic recruitment knowledge to the new GFS recruits and EMT officers, who are now equipped to carry out firefighting and rescue duties.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, said the Fire Service is making the necessary strides in positioning young people for the future.
“I want to applaud the efforts of the Guyana Fire Service in continuing the efforts to train young people to take over the roles, the positions, the activities which are pivotal to Guyana’s development,” he said.
While acknowledging the important role the GFS plays in protecting lives and property, Minister Benn added, “the Guyana Fire Service is at a pivotal point in terms of its development, the Guyana Fire Service has to rise to meet the expectations in terms of our country’s development, in terms of this historical point in our country’s history.”
The aim of the programme is to produce firefighters and EMTs capable of upholding the values and services of the GFS.
The prospective firefighters were drawn from different parts of the country.
All the candidates were required to be academically and physically functional individuals between the ages of 18 and 35. They were interviewed and assessed by the members of the training and recruitment board.
