Held under the theme “One Caribbean, one service,” the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) Conference and Vendors Expo held in Carolina, Puerto Rico this year, has been hailed a success.
Saint Lucia was capably represented by Chief Fire Officer Mr. Ditney Downes at the regional meeting held from May 12 – 19, 2024.
“Since its inception Saint Lucia has been a member of the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs and we’ve attended most if not all of the conferences, which have been held all over the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. We have benefitted immensely from participating in these conferences. There have been a number of collaborations in terms of training and also in terms of assisting countries in times of disasters.”
Mr. Downes noted that the inclusion of training opportunities for line fire personnel was a feature of CAFC that he welcomed. As a result, two Saint Lucian female fire fighters this year participated in the opportunity to improve their professional skills, in Puerto Rico.
“The host country normally provides training during the conference. We have sent a number of officers to what we call the junior officers’ leadership programme and this year in Puerto Rico they will be introducing the Senior Officers Leadership programme, so holistically we have benefitted.”
The Fire Chief Officer commented that this year ‘s annual conference and leadership symposium was hosted by the Metro Emergency Response Team Incorporated Puerto Rico Voluntary Fire Department and saw a high level of participation from its 27 members regional counter-parts.
Mr. Downes explained that the significant objective of this annual meeting is to foster regional collaboration and to provide a shared platform for the exchange of insights, the promotion of best practices, and exploring of the latest innovations in fire and emergency services.
The Saint Lucia Fire Services proudly marks its 50th anniversary this year 2024, and remains committed to raising fire prevention and safety standards to a new threshold, in keeping with the highest international fire-fighting standards.