Forty new recruits have graduated to the St Lucia Fire Service. The graduation ceremony was held at the Phillip Marcellin grounds in Vieux-Fort on Saturday. In his address, the Acting Chief Fire Officer, Joseph Joseph, told the recruits that they were fortunate to have been selected from hundreds of applicants throughout the island and region to undergo training to become fire fighters.
The new recruits completed training in a number of areas, which included fire fighting signs, the physics and chemistry of combustion, self-contain breathing apparatus, and vehicle rescue and extrication. The Acting Fire Chief called it an important day for the short staffed Fire Service. He expressed gratitude that the government had responded to their cries to address the issue of increasing shortages in the fire service due to retirement and otherwise.