FALMOUITH, Trelawny - Members of 'Claudette's Reunion Cruise' will donate more than 200 smoke detectors to the Falmouth Fire Department in October, during Fire Safety Awareness Week.

Members of the group, mostly Jamaican-born, have been travelling to different parts of the world since 2003 to celebrate Claudette Butcher — a native of Jamaica — who is a cancer survivor.

Recently, more than 150 members of the group arrived at the Falmouth Cruise Shipping Pier aboard the luxurious Allure of the Seas cruise liner, and later met with representatives of the fire brigade.

Following the discussions, the group announced that approximately 200 fire detectors will be made available to the brigade for distribution.

" We decided to come to Jamaica this trip because it's the country's 50th anniversary and we wanted to do something very special," said group member Cynthia Baker Mc Donald.

Butcher in the meanwhile, noted that the group which started out with 20 family members and friends nine years ago, now has 160 members.

" Since we started, every year Jamaican natives living in different parts of the US, England Canada and other Caribbean islands usually leave from Florida and go to different parts of the world to really have a grand time. But this year, because it was Jamaica's 50th anniversary we had to make sure that the island was incorporated," Butcher told the Jamaica Observer.

Meanwhile, Fire Prevention Officer at the Falmouth Fire Department, Michael Tomlinson, said the smoke detectors will come in very handy.

"We will receive the smoke detectors during Fire Safety Awareness week in October and we will have them installed in areas that are prone to fires in an effort to assist in the prevention of fires," he explained.