NEGRIL, Westmoreland — With just a few days remaining before the start of the new school year, firefighters from the Westmoreland branch of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) last Sunday pulled out all the stops to help students from communities around Negril get ready to return to classes.

More than 100 children, between the ages of five and 10, participated in a back-to-school treat which was held on the grounds of the Negril Fire Station.

Working with a budget of approximately $500,000 after receiving sponsorships from businesses in and around Negril, the JFB team was able to provide giveaways, health checkups, and an awareness session hosted by the Ministry of Justice Child Diversion Branch, while entertainment was provided by firefighters.

Among the parents who appreciated the treat was Oneil Williams, father of a student at the Negril-based West End Infant School.

“Time is hard on most of the people and what they [the JFB] did for the kids will really cushion and help a lot of them. My daughter did not have a school bag and she got a bag which made her happy and the family happy, so it was very helpful,”” Williams told the
Jamaica Observer.

“Everyone just come out, enjoy themselves, unite and do it for the kids. Even though it rained, the firefighters did their best to make it come off how they wanted it to be,”” added Williams.

In the meantime principal of West End Infant School Marsha Davis told the Observer that the gifts from the JFB would go a long way in helping the students who benefited.

““What the sponsors donated will benefit the children because it is not just one item. It is like a variety of things that will help them throughout the school year,” ”said Davis.

She pointed out that the JFB had sent a letter requesting the school to submit the names of some students who could benefit from back-to-school treat. West End Infant was one of five schools in the area which received direct invitations from the JFB.

According to Davis, she is pleased with the approach of the JFB.

““I see where the firefighters are trying to reach out to the community at all times to come back and give — whether it is in kind, or coming for a careers day, or something like that — just to show the children and the community that they are here and willing to help,”added Davis.

The back-to-school initiative forms part of an effort of the Westmoreland branch of the JFB to have a greater impact in the community. With this in mind, the branch established a Community Outreach Committee in June which identified projects to be done.

The back-to-school treat was the first project and the committee has already started planning a treat for residents of the infirmary in the parish.

“I believe that we can do more to reach the community and let them know what firefighters do and for them to have an intimate relationship with firefighters because I would have seen where the police are making strides, especially on this social scene where they have established more interaction with the public and I am jealous of that,” said the chief organiser, JFB Acting Sergeant Falconia Morrison.

In pointing out that firefighters do more than just control and extinguish fires, Morrison quipped that some residents of Westmoreland “do not know where the fire station is located even though it might be very close to them.

“”People just don’t show up at the fire station like a police station where people go for almost every little thing. If something happens on the road, such as an accident, they are more likely to call the police because that’s the number they are more familiar with,”” added Morrison as he pointed out that some firefighters also work on ambulances.

“A lot of people did not know that we have an EMS [emergency medical services] section and they thought that the ambulance belonged to the hospital. They just did not know that we do all of these things because really and truly if we don’t get an emergency, we don’t respond,” ”said Morrison, who has been based at the Westmoreland division of the JFB for the past 12 years.

The Negril Fire Station is one of six JFB stations across the island which operate EMS departments equipped with ambulances that provide pre-hospital care.

Morrison, who is a trained emergency medical technician, JFB instructor, and fire prevention safety officer, told the Observer that based on the feedback from the community, Sunday’s inaugural treat will become an annual event.