Prime Minister Mark Phillips said the Government of Guyana is advancing a modern, decentralised approach to firefighting.
He explained that it is aimed at strengthening national emergency response and improving service delivery across the country.
Addressing the Guyana Fire Service Officers’ Conference 2026, at the Guyana Police Force Annex, Eve Leary today, the Prime Minister emphasised that firefighters must be able to respond to all disasters.
“We are no longer living in an era where we can afford to look at a fire on a house and ignore the car crash down the street.”
He added that modern firefighting organisations are expected to be “the first line of defence for all emergencies” — including traffic accidents, floods, wildfires and hazardous material incidents.
According to the Prime Minister, firefighting must also be decentralised, as “the era of the centralised fire service is coming to an end”.
He said that the Government is moving toward a hybrid model, combining the trained fire service with decentralised, community-based units to better serve both coastal and hinterland regions.
The Prime Minister also announced that each Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is expected to have its own fire tender to ensure faster response to fires.
With more than $3.5 billion invested in the fire service over the past five years, Prime Minister Phillips explained that the Government is not only buying vehicles but improving capacity and building a modern structure to advance firefighting.
He added that the investment reflects Government’s commitment to firefighters: “The era of scarcity is over. The era of strategic investment has begun”.
These investments, he explained, are part of efforts to modernise the fire service in keeping with Guyana’s growing economy.
The Officers’ Conference, he added, provides a space for reflection and planning as Government continues to put systems in place to meet the demands of a developing nation.
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