KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, is counting on the Fire Warden Clubs in Schools Project to create a paradigm shift in the way Jamaicans, particularly children, view fire safety.

The project is a collaboration involving the Jamaica Fire Brigade and the Ministry of Education and Youth (MoEY).

McKenzie spoke to the transformative nature of the project during his recent contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

“Of all the important projects being initiated by the Fire Brigade, the Fire Warden Clubs in Schools Project has the greatest potential to transform national attitudes to fire,” the minister said.

He explained that it was a “new and special component of the Fire and Life Safety Education Programme, and it aims to provide our children in the primary education system with the skills they need to avoid and prevent fires and bring them into a culture of disaster prevention”.

The Fire Wardens Club is a uniformed club, endorsed and supported by the MoEY and now forms part of the extra-curricular programmes in primary schools.

‘This is a social transformation initiative and I am highly optimistic that it can help to save our children’s lives now and create an inter-generational culture of fire safety that will preserve lives in homes and communities all over Jamaica,” McKenzie said.