MoBay mayor appeals to residents for land to build fire station

Chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation and Mayor of Montego Bay, Homer Davis, is extending an invitation to residents of the parish with unused lands to consider donating a piece for the building of a fire station in the western city.

The second city has been operating for close to 15 years without a proper fire station, with concerns being raised about its capacity to effectively respond to fires in the parish as well as the conditions under which firefighters are working.

The previous fire station, which was situated along Barnett Street in the city, was demolished some years ago after the building was deemed too dilapidated to be occupied.

Firefighters were then moved to a location at Freeport on the outskirt of downtown Montego Bay where they currently remain.

However, Mayor Davis is resolute in his belief that a fire station needs to be located in downtown Montego Bay and is now pleading with private citizens to come to the rescue of the city.

Additionally, Davis notes that while the government lacks suitable land space, the funding is ready and waiting to begin construction once land is identified.

In the meantime, he is asking the St James Fire Department to survey the guild club lands to see if it meets their needs.

In 2016, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, at a town-hall meeting, had guaranteed the citizens of St James that Montego Bay would have its own fire station and that construction would have commenced in the 2017/2018 financial year.