By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 7th May 2021) — On International Firefighters’ Day (4th May), the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire & Rescue Services held a public run and drill display through Basseterre to mark the occasion. Fire Sub Station Officer Timothy Martin shared insights on the department’s work, which extends beyond combating fires to rescuing animals. “Any life, we hold sacred. That of human beings and also animals,” he said.
Past animal rescue scenarios have included dogs trapped in holes, cats with their heads stuck in wire fences, a cat stuck in a tree, and a cattle that fell into a septic tank at a home under construction. “We are rescuers. We are trained extensively to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property and environment as well as to rescue people and also animals from dangerous situations,” Martin said. The department was also able to send 100 cases of water donated by the public to firefighter colleagues in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in support of volcanic relief efforts. International Firefighters’ Day has been commemorated on 4th May each year since 1999, following a deadly Australian bushfire in December 1998 that claimed the lives of five firefighters: Matthew Armstrong, Jason Thomas, Stuart Davidson, Chris Evans, and Garry Vredeveldt.