They remain on standby 24/7 in all 5 districts, ready to spring into action at the call of a fire or accident. 21 members of the National Fire service received Long service awards on Friday, honored for their commitment and dedication to years on the frontline.
7 senior personnel were recognized for 25 years on the job. And the ministry of Public service was there to present them their awards. Here are the highlights from the event.
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
"Certainly it is a pleasure of mine to be here this is the long service award for out fire fighters those that have served 10, 15, 20 and 25 years so it is a small token of appreciation the government of Belize has for the work that they do the sacrifices that they make and of course with the dedication they have shown to the national fire service. These are fire fighters that are often overlooked as part of our service core and we are happy that we are able to show our appreciation and also to recognize and to respect the work that this national fire service does. Certainly what you see here are dedicated officers you have persons who, especially those that are 20 and 25 years who have been through so many different challenges, national emergencies, technological changes, increase in public expectation in terms of the public expecting so much more from our national fire service and we are happy that we are able to provide this token of appreciation but also to show that we are serious about investing in our national fire service. We want to improve the services that they provide and we are happy that we are able to have the new building for the administrative headquarters and as I said publicly we want to make sure that in this term we build the national headquarters. Unfortunately the last administration sold out the national head quarters without a plan to really have one in place so we are looking forward to getting that done and we are happy also that we were able to get the allowances for our fire fighters approved these are some allowances that they have been fighting for some time and of course we are looking at the organizational structure and to make sure that we properly compensate our fire fighters."
Colin Gillet, Fire Chief
"Some of them have been here for 25 years and above which shows that during, through all the years when things were not as great they stuck through it just because their dedication to the work and the people of the community they serve. We have officers from all over the country. Independence, PG, Corozal and they all have been stellar in their work for the national fire service."
