With the arrival and handing over of the first of two remarkable fire tenders – with a Caterpillar C-18 engine propulsion from 0-80 in less than 35 seconds, and many other multi features – Anguilla’s fire and rescue services may well be number one in the region. The Clayton J. Lloyd Internation
al Airport is certainly among airports in various parts of the world with equipment of that magnitude. It is the kind of equipment that augurs well for the planned expansion of the island’s airport.
The first of the two Rosenbauer Panther fire tenders which arrived in Anguilla, from Austria over two weeks ago, was handed over on Monday, December 31, at the new Fire Hall. It was blessed by the Right Reverend Leroy Errol Brooks, OBE. The second such vehicle is expected to arrive from the United States towards the end of January. A third fire tender, for domestic use, will arrive later from Trinidad.
Deputy Governor, Mr. Perin Bradley, commended the Chief Fire Officer Mr. Shondell Hodge and his team for their work and spoke about the importance of providing them with the necessary equipment. “For most of us, when something bad happens we run away from it but these guys are tasked with actually running to disaster,” he stated.“I think that we ought to commend them for the work they do on a daily basis. Of course, to match this dedication we also have to make sure that they have the best facilities to make sure that they operate in an environment with the tools and equipment necessary for them to do the job…
“It is part of the commitment of the British Government as well. In total, we would have spent about close to five million pounds between the equipment including the fire tenders and the combined services building, the Control Tower and so forth. This shows again the commitment of the British Government to Anguilla, through the Governor’s Office, for the people of Anguilla to have a good fire and rescue service. Not only is it important for safety, health and so forth, but for our economic development because with this fire tender we have an airport that operates at a category which means it can take larger aircraft.”
Earlier, Mr. Hodge, the Chief Fire Officer, said the acquisition of the fire-fighting equipment provided his department with the opportunity to introduce a new operational model with revised tactics and techniques. Such a fresh approach would enable his team to create a safer environment for passengers, operating crews and firefighters.
He reported that the very high-performance, heavy rigid and six-wheel vehicle had the following features: a multi-functional, air-conditioned cabin designed to accommodate six persons; state-of-the-art extinguishing systems capable of producing water, foam and dry powder; bird view camera system which allows operators to generate a bird’s eye view of the area surrounding the vehicle from inside the cabin for added safety; infrared night vision camera; electronic roll safety control; a water capacity of 10,400 litres; a foam capacity of 1,250 litres tank; a dry powder capacity of 225kg; bumper monitor for low angle firefighting; roof monitor capable of dispensing media up to 70 metres; and a caterpillar C-18 engine capable of propelling the appliance from 0-80 in less than 35 seconds.
Minister of Infrastructure, Communications and Public Utilities, Mr. Curtis Richardson, called for a round of applause for the Chief Fire Officer and his team for their hard work notwithstanding the difficult times they had with dysfunctional fire tenders. He was grateful that God had given him the desire of his heart to see the time when there would be brand new fire tenders at the airport.” He went on: “It is the Christmas Season and the names of those three fire trucks will be Love, Peace and Joy. The next truck that is coming will be Peace which is coming on January 22nd, but this one is Love – and Joy will coming later to serve the domestic part of the fire and rescue service. My heart is really blessed that we can give Shondell and his crew what they deserve. They deserve a proper living quarters and top-of-the-line equipment.”
Chairman of the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority, Mr. Marcel Fahie, reflected on the days when lack of proper fire tenders and other equipment had led to a downgrading of the airport. He was pleased that the fire and rescue service had reached a new level and that the commitment of the British Government had been secured, through the Governor’s Office, to provide two new fire tenders for the airport and a new one for the domestic service.
Mr. Fahie said that apart from the agitation for, and the acquisition of, the firefighting equipment, the past two years and four months had seen a new cadre of managers who had contributed greatly to the improvement of the airport. He described their work as a human interest story and named a number of those persons to the commendation of the gathering.
The next speaker was Mr. Shyam Ramchandani of Indocom Ltd, in Trinidad, who was associated with the fire tenders. He spoke highly of the firefighting appliances saying there were large orders for them in several countries to upgrade their fire and rescue services. He was delighted that Anguilla was now among them.
The closing remarks were delivered by Fire Fighter Ms. Carronelle Gumbs-Romney who, among other matters, was pleased that the old firefighting equipment was a thing of the past and that new fire tenders were now being provided.
