GFS rebrand Guyana Fire & Rescue Service

Georgetown: Cabinet at its meeting Thursday approved a name change from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) to the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service.

The institution currently referred to as the Guyana Fire Service was first established as the British Guiana Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service. The ambulance services offered by this Department were extended to the public in case of an emergency or as a paid private service in the event that a person could not walk and had to be conveyed by a stretcher to a hospital. Subsequent to the renaming of the Guyana Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service to the Guyana Fire Service, the ambulance services were handed over to the Ministry of Health primarily for use at the public hospitals.

This meant that the ambulance services previously rendered to members of the public by the Fire Service were curtailed; with the Department primarily responsible for responding with fire appliances to emergencies and being placed on standby at the airport.

Legislative provision would have to be made to reflect the change from “Guyana Fire Service” to “Guyana Fire and Rescue Service”. Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs will seek to have the necessary amendments made to the Fire Service Act, Cap 22:02; the Fire Prevention Act, Cap 22:01; and the Fire Service Regulations in order to fully implement Cabinet’s decision