“Following my visit to Clearwater and the Airport Fire stations, I was pleased to meet with the new Bermudian recruits at Central Station as they undergo training.” said Minister of National Security, the Hon. Michael Weeks, JP, MP, following his meeting with new recruits and a tour of the Hamilton Fire Station recently.
Minister Weeks was given the walkabout alongside the Acting Chief Fire Officer and other officials within the BFRS.
His visit is part of his ongoing visits to Departments within the Ministry to meet with service personnel and gain a better appreciation of their work and the challenges they face.
During his tour, the Minister spoke to some of the new recruits as they received breathing apparatus training.
He added: “These new recruits will be shortly going overseas for specialist training on their journey to becoming fully qualified airport rescue firefighters. I was very impressed with how far they have come in such a short time and that is a reflection of the calibre and commitment of these new recruits as well as the training staff at the BFRS.”
The Minister also took time to meet with and talk to fire dispatchers responsible for answering 911 calls and was given a detailed explanation of how the call centre works.
Not only does the dispatch team handle emergency calls about fires, they are also responsible for handling calls involving medical emergencies in which crucial information must be quickly passed on to emergency responders.
“Often times during an emergency, the 911 dispatch team are the unsung heroes due to their requirements to think quickly, remain calm under intense pressure and process complex information,” Minister Weeks also said.
“I praise the team for their efforts, as I do the entire BFRS for their professionalism and dedication.”