CAY HILL-- Prime Minister William Marlin is getting familiar with the departments that fall under his ministry. During a visit of the Fire Department, Marlin was confronted with plans to develop the Fire Department Training System Centre.
The prime minister said, due to budget cuts, the Fire Department is facing the issue of not being able to do frequent trainings in order to ensure more promotions amongst fire fighters. The Fire Department is looking to further develop their Training System Centre on their premises, by developing an official institute. Right now, the Fire Department can administer official exams from the Dutch System. The emergency service wants to look in to becoming an accredited institute in order to generate their own income. This income will alleviate current issues due to budget cuts.
“I have asked the minister of education to look at accrediting the Fire Department, this will also be good for fire fighters on the French side who have to travel to Guadeloupe for training, but if our department is accredited, they can come over to the Dutch side and do training there,” said Marlin on Wednesday. Fire department management told the prime minister that there is sufficient demand for a local credited institute. Many countries do not have a training centre and countries such as Anguilla and Saint Martin are looking for an official institute with a training centre that meets the necessary requirements for their trainees.
The Fire Department last year hosted a, VakOfficier van Dienst (Fire Officer on Duty) course for senior fire fighters from all six Dutch Caribbean islands. The course consisted of theoretical sessions on management of incidents and personnel. The senior fire fighters received practical training sessions where major incidents were simulated at several locations on the island. In between the training weeks the participants had to work on several assignments.
Marlin mentioned that when cruise ships are in port, crew members will be able to complete trainings which takes a couple of hours in order to obtain refresher certification. “This will be extra income for the Fire Department. I look forward to the Minister of Education looking at recognizing the centre as soon as possible,” said Marlin.
