$59 million Old Harbour Fire Station officially opens, as firefighters return to original location after 17 years

By the end of this week, the crew of first responders will make a grand return to their original base at 25 South Street after it was officially reopened and rededicated at a ceremony yesterday.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie headed the list from officialdom that were present and rightly had the honour along with colleague minister and Member of Parliament Everald Warmington to cut the symbolic ribbon.

The journey to this momentous day was one of pain and shame but importantly delight at the end of a tunnel. Back in 2005 health authorities deemed the antique and derelict building unsafe, forcing the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) to seek temporary shelter elsewhere. Mandated to serve their country in less than ideal circumstances, the brigade and its firefighters suffered the ignominy of being served with an eviction notice, the lack of basic amenities, exposure to raw sewage and pest infestation. While these public embarrassments were unfolding McKenzie vowed to build a new fire station to serve Jamaica’s fastest growing town of over 50,000 inhabitants.

Addressing those who had gathered underneath the tent on the grounds of the facility, the minister spoke with a great sense of pride and satisfaction as he delivered as promised.

“This is probably one of the best periods of a working relationship between the Jamaica Fire Brigade and the unions that represent them,” he said in reference to some of the challenges he had to overcome. “Let me tell you something, I listen to the concerns of the firefighters and I will move every obstacle in my way that is possible to improve the conditions of the firefighters across the country.”

The $59.7 million project was completed in the time agreed with GM and Associates, the contracting firm and within budget, the minister added, while indicating that this was the second fire station built in Jamaica using containers - six 40-foot shipping containers to be precise. The first was the Freeport Fire Station in Montego Bay, St James.

The Old Harbour facility will accommodate 32 firefighters and is equipped “with all the amenities of a modern fire station to include gender specific bathrooms and dormitory areas, recreational area and office space,” said Stewart Beckford, commissioner of the JFB.

“This is indeed a significant moment, one which will no doubt lead to an improvement in the morale of the firefighters who will operate out of this new facility,” he said.

The JFB’s commissioner further stated that its members assigned to Old Harbour made great sacrifice carrying out their sworn duty during the period of disrepair, despair and uncertainty and “continued to give of their best, notwithstanding the difficult conditions under which they sometimes worked”.

Warmington, who has given 53 years of political service to the constituency of St Catherine South Western commended McKenzie for delivering on his word to build a new fire station for the town, though he had initially argued for such plans to be subsumed into the grand design of a government town centre for Old Harbour “which is now well advanced”.

“But then this was needed based on the conditions that the fire personnel were performing [under]. We are all grateful for the improvement and for what is provided here for the people and the fire personnel,” Warmington said.

Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott, who is also chairman of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, also praised all the stakeholders involved in the process. He noted that the new fire station is better able to serve the growing demands of a rapidly expanding community.