KINGSTON, Jamaica — Superintendent Dennis Lyons beamed with pride as longtime colleague Stewart Beckford became the first serving Jamaica Fire Brigade commissioner to receive the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander.

Superintendent Lyons, the JFB’s divisional commander for St Catherine, was among the family, colleagues and friends who made it their duty to attend the National Honours and Awards 2026 at King’s House in St Andrew on Monday to witness, with immense happiness, the commissioner collect the Order of Distinction, Commander Class medal, which is one of the highest national awards in Jamaica.

It was all smiles for Lyons, who seized the moment to take pictures with Beckford, as the superintendent could not hide the joy he felt for his boss and friend of 36 years.

“Commissioner Stewart Beckford has become the first serving commissioner to be awarded the Order of Distinction, Commander Class. There are other commissioners who received it, but that was after they retired,” Lyons told Observer Online.

“What made me so proud today is that I enlisted in the service just months before him. I came in July 1990 and he came in October. The 16th of October will mark his 36th year. We worked as firefighters, came up through the ranks and now he is my boss while I am in charge of St Catherine and I serve him well. I am proud, and I couldn’t miss this,” he added.

Lyons described Beckford as a composed leader who commands respect despite his quiet demeanour.

“I watched him as a sub-officer. We were elated in 2018 when he was promoted to commissioner. Since then, I have served at his pleasure in St Catherine and I am grateful for that,” Lyons shared.

While Beckford welcomed the recognition for his service to the JFB, he was equally grateful for the support of serving firefighters such as Lyons and the many retired members who helped shape his career.

The commissioner stressed that his achievements were not his alone, crediting the dedicated men and women under his leadership, as well as the veterans who guided him and his colleagues through the ranks.

“We had with us, some tremendous firefighters who were not afraid. They were the ones who kept us calm as youngsters. They imparted critical knowledge that stood with us in great stead for us to have gone on to be good firefighters and transition from good firefighters to good administrators where it is a whole different ballgame in terms of run in an organisation with a budget of over $13 billion and a staff complement of over 2,000 people. It’s really demanding,” Beckford said.

He explained that the responsibilities of the commissioner extend far beyond fighting fires, encompassing the management of a large organisation and the protection of the entire country.

“When you are down the ranks, you just focus on fires and making sure that you do a good job and that they see that you are a good firefighter and so on. When you are at the top, it’s about the entire organisation and the safety of an entire country and it is not just about fires. There are big events all over the place, entertainment and otherwise. Look at the perimeter, you have my guys dotted around and on standby just in case there is an incident. We take [care] of social events as well,” Beckford told Observer Online.