Senior Reporter
otto.carrington@cnc3.co.tt
The Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service is beginning to fill the equipment gap with the arrival in the country of six new fire trucks, although some resources remain stretched across the country.
Fire Service Association (FSA) president Keone Guy yesterday told Guardian Media that the long-delayed delivery of three fire tenders, two water tenders and an emergency tender was expected within the first quarter of this year, after final payments were made to the contractor late last year and overseas acceptance tests were completed.
“The arrival of these tenders will bring some relief, particularly for stations such as Woodbrook, Penal and Mayaro,” Guy said.
The trucks were seen parked up at the Port of Port-of-Spain compound earlier this week.
However, he stressed that “this is still only a drop in the bucket compared to what is urgently needed” to resolve long-standing fleet deficiencies.
Chief Fire Officer Andy Hutchinson also confirmed that the Fire Service had already begun receiving new equipment, noting that six vehicles arrived on Tuesday, with an additional vehicle expected to be shipped shortly. He said the arrivals form part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the service’s operational capacity amid longstanding concerns about fleet shortages.
Media reports over the past several years have consistently highlighted the severity of the fire service’s equipment crisis.
In September 2023, the association had said several major fire stations, including Woodbrook, Belmont, Morvant and Santa Cruz, were without any operational fire trucks, forcing crews from distant stations to respond to emergencies in those communities and leaving densely populated areas exposed. By August 2024, Guy warned that nine of the country’s 23 stations had no firefighting-capable tenders, with many of the existing vehicles nearing 20 years in service and ill-equipped to meet emergency demands.
