Fire Department receives much needed Equipment

PHILIPSBURG -The ability of the Fire Department’s to better communicate during a disaster, was boosted with the handing over of critical communication equipment purchased through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB).

The new communication equipment is one element of support being offered to the Fire Department under the Trust Fund. Earlier this year they were able to obtain specialized breathing equipment and training during the month of June and July. The next items presently being secured are customized fire trucks, along with safety and rescue equipment.

Speaking on the procurement of the communication equipment, NRPB Director Claret Connor observed, that “Each time we are able to deliver on these valuable resources, be it in physical equipment or trainings, we are one step closer to restoring what was lost. More importantly, we are ensuring that our critical services are better equipped to handle future disasters”.

The delivery of sixty handheld terminals, thirteen mobile terminals, forty pagers and 3 base terminals were appreciatively received by the department’s head Clive Richardson and Materials and Logistics Coordinator Marvin Dollison. The handing over was jointly done by Connor and Albert Kemper, Branch Manager of Critical Communication Caribbean (C3).

The communication equipment was supported by the Emergency Recovery Project of Sint Maarten Trust Fund, financed through the Government of the Netherlands, and managed by the World Bank. There’s no mention of the actual cost of the equipment.

###