Fire Service needs shift in operational culture, says Benn   

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, has called on the leadership and command of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) to initiate a shift in its operational culture, to ensure that the quality of service aligns with the ongoing development of the agency and the wider national progress.

He made the call during the opening of the GFS’s Senior Officers’ Conference, held today at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary, under the theme ‘Fostering Community Collaboration to Enhance Emergency Response’.

The minister acknowledged several positive developments within the service, including the construction of new fire and safety facilities across the country, increased equipment and training, as well as broader national infrastructure development. However, he emphasised the need for corresponding improvements in service delivery.

“All of this is occurring at a time when we are challenged to rise to the new level that the development itself demands,” the minister stated. He insisted that “the way we have done things in the past cannot survive, cannot match up, cannot meet the new requirements and be efficacious—unless the investments in hard infrastructure, equipment and vehicles are matched with a change in awareness and approach to meet the current level of development.”

Minister Benn urged the Prison Service to take his criticisms constructively, pointing to deficiencies in command and coordination in the field, and a lack of support and encouragement for those firefighters actively engaged in fire-fighting or safety missions.

He cited the recent unrest in Linden as an example of where proactive decision-making was needed, noting that the Fire Service should have worked alongside the police to extinguish fires lit on the Wismar Bridge before the situation escalated.

As such, Minister Benn called for “after-action reports” to be regularly compiled and used as tools for learning and service assessment. He also demanded greater respect for female ranks and emergency personnel, and a heightened focus on performance and preparedness.

“I don’t want to arrive at a fire scene and see senior personnel without proper uniforms, unprepared, as confused as everyone else, walking around drinking their own bottled water, while the men going into the fire don’t have water or the Gatorade that I’ve said they must be provided with,” he remarked.

The minister concluded by stressing that the leadership and command structure must function in a new, efficient, and improved manner. He reaffirmed that the GFS remains a disciplined service, and warned that any undisciplined individuals within the organisation must be removed.

A section of the gathering at the conference (Ministry of Home Affairs photo)