The Guyana Fire Service must move beyond being judged solely by how quickly it responds to emergencies and instead focus on preventing fires before they start, Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond said on Wednesday.
Addressing the opening of the Guyana Fire Service Annual Senior Officers’ Conference, Walrond described firefighting as one of the most demanding services and stressed that success should be measured by fewer fires, not just faster response times.
“For too long, the measure of the fire service is how fast it can respond after a fire has started. Response time matters, it will always matter, but the most effective fire service is the one that reduces how often that response is needed,” Walrond said.
She emphasised that prevention is at the heart of protecting lives and property, noting that early detection of risks and thorough investigations can stop tragedies from recurring.
“Prevention means a fire personnel identifying a faulty electrical installation before it ignites. It means a fire investigator determining the true cause of the blaze so it won’t happen again. Every fire that does not start is a life protected and a home preserved,” Walrond told senior officers.
She underscored that while Guyana is investing heavily in modernising the fire service, technology alone cannot safeguard communities if citizens are not properly informed about fire risks.
“Technology will change how this service operates, but no system, no dispatch software, no GPS will save a family that never knew the risk they were living with. Community engagement must address this,” she said.
She explained that fire safety is closely tied to public behaviour, pointing to everyday scenarios where awareness could prevent disasters, from gas cylinder leaks in homes to unsafe storage practices in markets.
“When a family knows what to do when a gas cylinder leaks, when a market vendor understands the risks their storage practices create, and when children in our schools learn from a young age that fire prevention belongs to all of us, then we will see fewer emergencies,” she added.
Walrond also highlighted the government’s push toward digital transformation, stating that tools such as geographical information systems, computer-aided dispatch and GPS enabled personnel are no longer luxuries but standard features of a modern emergency service.
“When a call comes in, the dispatcher should already know the nearest functional hydrant; the closest unit should be identified, and the response should be coordinated before the truck leaves the bay. That is what technology makes possible and it is what we are building,” she said.
She pointed to the distribution of rapid intervention vehicles, ambulances and water bowsers in 2025, along with the commissioning of new fire stations and the construction of others this year, as evidence of government’s commitment to strengthening the service’s national footprint.
However, Walrond warned that expanding infrastructure must be matched by investment in personnel to ensure sustainability.
“A service that grows its footprint without its human capital will find that footprint unsustainable,” she cautioned.
The conference is being held under the theme ‘Fire Reduction Through Technological Innovation and Enhanced Community Engagement’.
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