New BKCN Interim General Commander Albert Gieling (centre), St. Eustatius Fire Chief Andre Bennett (seventh left) with members of BKCN’s Statia division.
ST. EUSTATIUS–The new Interim General Commander of the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Department BKCN, Albert Gieling, visited St. Eustatius for an introductory visit. He met with representatives from the Fire Department’s division in Statia and with the Government Commissioners on Wednesday. He also toured the NuStar facilities.
Gieling said he had been informed that NuStar had invested a lot of funds in the last couple of years to improve safety at the plant.
“We are happy with that and I understand from [Fire – Ed.] Chief [Andre] Bennett that there is a good relationship between NuStar and the Fire Department, as they train together and help each other. For example, if there is a fire in Oranjestad and we have a lack of water, NuStar would help out,” Gieling said.
His appointment is for 13 months until August 1, 2020. His job is to manage and to continue the Fire Department’s development.
“One of the tasks for me is to find a permanent commander for the department who has his roots in and a connection with the islands. I have to look around and I hope to find someone, and if the situation calls for it, coach that person up a little bit, so that when I depart there is someone there to take over on a permanent basis,” said Gieling.
Asked why recruits from Statia and Saba have to travel to Bonaire for training, instead of an instructor coming to one of the islands, he responded that Bonaire has the most recruits and more facilities for training. There are no recruits from Saba this year. The four Statia recruits will be trained together with eight recruits from Bonaire.
Gieling said BKCN continues to work with St. Maarten, Curaçao and Aruba in conducting joint training. He said he wants education to be uniform across the six Dutch Caribbean islands, “because when you have the same education and the same way of working, you will need the same equipment. That way you can buy equipment together, equipment that is more efficient and more cost-effective.”
Gieling said the fire departments can also help each other when, for example, there is a hurricane because they all know each other’s way of working and can collaborate, so the departments can help each other in the future.
“The good thing is that at a ministerial level it was agreed that the fire departments on the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles will collaborate more in the future, so we are happy with this.”
He said BKCN is “continuously” trying to get new personnel.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/89669-interim-fire-commander-pays-visit-to-st-eustatius
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