The fire department has taken the lead in the fight against Coronavirus in Dominica. This was revealed by Fire Chief Josiah Dupuis who disclosed that the department has put measures in place to contain and eliminate the pandemic on the island. He stated that fire and ambulances services personnel don protective gear since they personally transport COVID-19 patients to hospitals and isolation centres.
“We have a very serious undertaking in terms of our involvement with COVID-19 cases and therefore, it means that the fire officers who are transporting, driving or attending on the ambulances must be protected,” Dupuis said. “A lot is at stake for them, for their colleagues and family.”
He added that fire department officials move COVID-19 infected patients or suspected cases to healthcare facilities such as the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital or the St. James facility in Portsmouth among others. To meet up with the increased workload, Dupuis said 27 new recruits were added to the department to boost performance following a rapid orientation programme.
The new recruits are not deployed to the front-lines to fight coronavirus, but they are trained on basic firefighting skills until they are able to graduate to more specialized functions. With a total personnel of 115 officers, the Fire Department has enjoyed tremendous support from the government and former officials of the service.
Dupuis also appreciated Acting Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Letang for his support with managing the coronavirus outbreak in Dominica.
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
