Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 06, 2017 (SKNIS): Fire Sub Station Officer, Lesroy Caines, has reported that all is good to go for the start of the 15th Annual Summer Safety Programme, next Monday (July 10).
The programme, organized by the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services (SKNFRS), will be held simultaneously at the Basseterre, Tabernacle and Sandy Point Fire Stations and feature a number of changes this year so as to deepen the engagement with the 400 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years, who are expected to attend.
The most obvious change is the expansion of the programme from three to five days. Mr. Caines said this was done to give facilitators more time with the participants to get their respective messages across. These include fire safety by members of the SKNFRS, water safety by members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard Unit, traffic safety by members of the Traffic Department, and disaster safety by officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
A new topic is also being added to the programme – crime and violence prevention.
“We thought it best to introduce crime and violence [prevention] in our programme to sort of try to alleviate or eliminate some of the crime that is affecting our country today. Everyone knows Constable Lauston Percival, he is the person dealing with that topic,” the fire officer said.
Constable Percival said his presentation will be centered on resisting the gang culture, and the pitfalls of being a member of a gang.
The camp concludes on Friday, July 14, and will feature a march through the streets of Basseterre by all of the programme participants. Mr. Caines said that it is a good way to share with the public some of the positive work that the SKNFRS has been doing in the various communities.
The theme of this year’s Summer Safety Programme is “Fifteen Years of Cultivating a Culture of Safety.” Transportation will be available free of charge for registered participants. Buses HA408 and H6599 branded “Jus Fu Dem” will pick up children at 8 a.m. in the Cayon to Challengers areas going to the Basseterre Fire Station. Bus HA353 “Bandick” will transport children from the Old Road to Dieppe Bay areas to the Sandy Point Fire Station, while Bus HA150 ‘Country Massive” will transport children in the Parsons to Ottleys areas to the station at Tabernacle. Children going to the Tabernacle and Sandy Point stations should be on the island main road by 7:30 a.m. to be picked up.
