The construction of a new headquarter for the Guyana Fire Service, a project which is pegged at $614 million, has commenced.
Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn informed on Friday that this start to the new building will serve in ensuring an enhanced and faster response from the Fire Service. It will replace the age-old Central Fire Station at Water Street in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market, a high-traffic area that has posed challenges in the past.
“We have started the building of the new Georgetown Fire Station. The Central Fire Station will move down to Homestretch Avenue. The foundation is being laid out already and it is important because we say that the Stabroek area is too congested. It has to be improved but in relation to the space for new equipment that we’re bringing in, we need to have a new layout, new space and modern architecture,” Minister Benn announced.
The new facility will be constructed on approximately 3.5 acres of land between the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and the D’Urban Park Stadium. A portion of the land at the immediate east of the stadium has been earmarked for the construction of a sports facility.
This is significantly larger than the cramped Stabroek layout, which poses difficulties for tenders to navigate during peak hours, as both human and vehicle traffic is hiked, thus affecting response time.
A contract of $614 million was signed with Mohammed’s Enterprise for the construction of the new headquarters last November, after an allocation was made in the 2021 budget. The expected time of completion was set as 14 months from the commencement date.
Budget 2021 saw some $1.9 billion earmarked to enhance the capacity of the Fire Service.
This accounted for the relocation of the Central Fire Station, the construction of a new fire station at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, and the purchase of six water tenders and two ambulances.
Fire Stations were also planned for new townships – Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini); Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
Last year, four fire tenders valued $202.9 million were handed over to the GFS. The vehicles were dispatched to Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara; Eccles, East Bank Demerara, another to West Demerara and to the Central Fire Station in Georgetown.
