Several employees of the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Services Department have completed a five-week of training in Emergency Medical Response (EMS). The closing session was held at the VI F&FS headquarters in Road Town on March 17, 2015. Participants were presented with certificates. Photo: VINO

From left: Winston Farrington Jr, Kevin Prince, Avery Malone and Jason Lyon, four of the top five participants of the just concluded EMT training programme. Photo: VINO

The training was facilitated by Chief Instructor Doreen Vines (black dress) who is the President of Global Medical Educational Training (GMET), ‎Chief Operations Officer James Vines who is the Vice President of GMET, and instructors Latisha Porter, Claude Forde, Steve McDowall and William Broadus. Photo: VINO

It is a requirement to train First Responders as EMTs in order to save more lives and, according to Fire Chief Mr Zebalon A. McLean, it is the hope to eventually place an ambulance at each fire station in the territory. Photo: VINO

Mr Jason Lyons (Red Cross) was pleasantly surprised at his surprise congratulations when his name was announced as being among the top 5 participants of the EMT training programme. Photo: VINO

“And my commitment is, as long as I am continued to be invited I am going to continue to be of service. My focus is on the Caribbean and right now the BVI is at the top of my list because of where you all are going,” she added.

Mrs Vines was addressing a large group of firefighters and several First Responders who participated in a five-week EMT Training Programme, something that has become a requirement for the VI Fire and Rescue Services (VI F&RS) to do every two years.

The training was facilitated by Chief Instructor Doreen Vines, President of Global Medical Educational Training (GMET); ‎Chief Operations Officer James Vines, Vice President of GMET; and instructors Latisha Porter, Claude Forde, Steve McDowall and William Broadus.

An ambulance for every fire station

It is a requirement to train First Responders as EMTs in order to save more lives and, according to Fire Chief Mr Zebalon A. McLean, VI F&RS is hoping to eventually be able to place an ambulance at each fire station in the territory.

In addressing the participating officers yesterday, March 17, 2015 Mrs Vines especially commended the five top performers who also performed duties in the exercise as evaluators. “My commitment is to try to engage their services because the training is going to definitely increase. You are the ones that I am definitely going to be depending on to do that because there is a threshold that needs to happen and it needs to happen within and, like I said, because of the vision that I see here…”

Topping the programme were Mr Winston Farrington Jr, Mr Jason Lyons (Red Cross), Mr Angenine Ramkaran, Mr Avery Malone and Mr Kevin Prince. The Most Improved was Mr Elgin Johnson.

Challenges

However, Mrs Vines was not blind or deaf to the frustrations being felt by members of the VI Fire and Rescue Services because of the many challenges, including lack of firefighting machinery at strategic locations across the territory.

“I know you guys are kind of upset about things but I am telling you when you have that kind of support, that doors can open and you have to take advantage of it and you’ve got to be patient,” Mrs Vines encouraged.

In his brief address to the graduating class, which included himself, Fire Chief Mr McLean recommitted to fight as strong as he could and for as long as it takes to have the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Services equipped in the way it ought to be and for the things that matter much to the department.