Fire service finally completes induction of new recruits

(CNS): Months after it began a recruitment process to train a new group of firefighters, the Cayman Islands Fire Service has finally seen 12 Caymanians graduate through basic training and take the oath to save lives and protect property throughout the Cayman Islands. The process began back in 2021, but the first effort to train a class of recruits was cancelled, which has never been fully explained. Training restarted with a new group of recruits some four months ago.

Officials said in a release that the eleven men and one woman in this latest class are the first to pass through what was described as a new recruitment process, part of a wider transformation of professional development and industry training, in keeping with international industry fire and rescue standards. It forms part of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ mission to build the Cayman Islands’ resilience through public safety partnerships, innovation, and world-class service delivery, officials said.

Chief Fire Officer Dwight Randy Rankin said that CIFS will continually guide and assess the new recruits’ capabilities throughout their journey to become CIFS firefighters. They will be measured against international industry fire and rescue standards for any emergency, including building fires, road traffic collisions, search and rescue, water and land, fire prevention and aviation firefighting.

“We intend to continue this trend by supporting personal development across the entire service,” CFO Rankin said. “Rigorous professional training and development are at the core of our mission to build Cayman’s resilience through public safety partnerships, innovation and world-class service delivery to make the lives of the people we serve better,” he added.

Over the last four months, the candidates went through multiple stages of recruitment, beginning with an online entrance examination assessment to determine their level of problem-solving and comprehension skills. The candidates then underwent the physical assessment stage to assess their physical fitness, body strength, endurance, resistance, height and claustrophobia while using standard industry fire and rescue equipment. It also included 18 weeks of aviation and domestic firefighting and rescue training.

Officials said the twelve new firefighters will improve CIFS’ operational capabilities, service and maintenance competencies, and firefighting and rescue capabilities to support the community.

During her remarks at the graduation, Home Affairs Minister Sabrina Turner said that CIFS is one of the oldest branches of Cayman’s uniformed services, and the emergency services could not be what it is today without their efforts.

“I am proud to see not only strong young men joining the ranks but also brave young women,” she said. “You are collectively, and individually a representation of the true potential that lies within the young people of the Cayman Islands.”

Turner took over the Ministry of Home Affairs from Bernie Bush, who was stripped of the portfolio after he was accused of interfering with the recruitment process of the new chief fire officer and the way the former CFP was running the service.

Bush was also the person who revealed problems relating to the previous training class, which apparently involved a serious conflict of interest. CNS had asked ministry officials why the last recruitment process was stopped and the process started from scratch but no one has ever responded to our request.