Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie said that J$8.8 billion worth of property was destroyed by fire in 2022, compared to the J$326.8 billion worth of property that was saved from fires by the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) that same year.

To protect more lives and property this year, the Minister said the Government will obtain modern equipment and the latest technology.

“It is intended, beginning in the next financial year, to obtain fire trucks with the latest features, to respond to the expanding infrastructure being constructed around the country. One of the critical features of these trucks is their specially extended ladders, which reach a height of 20 floors or 200 feet. Currently, the ladders on our fire trucks can reach a maximum height of 10-12 floors, or 104 feet,” he said.

McKenzie was speaking during his contributions to the 2023-2024 Sectoral debate yesterday in Parliament.

The new trucks are estimated to cost J$250 million each.

McKenzie said the first two units will be assigned to the cities of Kingston and Montego Bay
Montego Bay, because they have significant numbers of high-rise buildings.