Minister of Home Affairs Hon. Otis Morris says government is pursuing plans to upgrade the Domestic Fire Service, acknowledging that the fleet has aged in need of overhauling.
Minister Morris’ statement was ostensibly triggered by the Opposition’s Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), who accused the Washington Misick’s Progressive National Party’s (PNP) Administration of abandoning the Domestic Fire Service, especially on Providenciales.
Morris labeled the Opposition’s statement as misinformation.
“As Minister of Home Affairs, Public Safety and Utilities and Telecommunications Commission with responsibility for the Domestic Fire Service, I wish to clarify and dispel misinformation concerning the state of the Domestic Fire Service on Providenciales,” Minister Morris said in a statement.
“I do acknowledge that the fire truck on Providenciales did experience mechanical issues resulting in it being out of service for urgent repairs, however those repairs have since been completed and the truck is operational. Furthermore, despite the truck being out of service the staff of the Domestic Fire Service were on hand to assist whenever they were called upon,” Minister Morris added.
He pointed out that the safety and wellbeing of the country has always been Government’s priority, Morris said the acquisition of a new fleet of fire trucks and equipment has been actively being pursued.
“As it relates to the Fire Service fleet, my Ministry and Government are aware of the needs of the Fire Service which includes upgrade of its fleet of trucks. We are actively working on plans to provide additional fire service vehicles and equipment to the department, as well as to optimize resources and operations between the Grand Turk and Providenciales stations. The safety and well-being of our citizens are of utmost importance, and we take any concerns regarding emergency response capabilities seriously,” he added.
Minister Morris pointed out that fire officers had no need to use their personal vehicles to respond to an emergency and/or to transport equipment, since other provisions had been put in place to address such occurrence.
“Let me be clear in stating that Fire Safety Officers do not need to use their own private vehicles to respond to emergencies. Officers receive a transportation and on-call allowance in the event of emergency incidents but are not required to use their private vehicles to do so,” the minister asserted.
He added: “We recognize the crucial service that the Domestic Fire Service provides, and we appreciate our officers’ hard work and dedication on the frontline. In acknowledgement of this, I am grateful that the team was rewarded in a tangible way following the recent pay and grade review which provided increases to the salaries of all front-line workers.
“Our Fire Safety Officers received a 28.3% increase, and Senior Fire Safety Officers received a 22.5% increase. This shows that indeed our first responders are being adequately compensated for their important and hard work, and we will continue to ensure that they are properly remunerated. Lastly, I wish to take this opportunity to thank our team of dedicated officers, who are on the frontline daily, protecting our communities.
“My ministry understands the urgency of the matter and will not delay in ensuring that the Fire Service is duly and ably equipped with the necessary resources to efficiently serve the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
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