CABINET HAS approved the award of an $83 million contract to Tank-Weld Limited for the construction of a new fire station in Falmouth, Trelawny.
According to Information Minister Senator Burchell Whiteman, major development plans for the parish of Trelawny require upgraded fire services.
Speaking during Tuesday's post-Cabinet briefing at Jamaica House, Minister Whiteman said the existing building housing the Jamaica Fire brigade in Falmouth is structurally unsound.
FIREFIGHTING VEHICLES
"In addition to being unsuitable in size and layout, it is also unable to adequately accommodate the firefighting vehicles," he said.
According to the Information Minister, the structural integrity of the fire station was further compromised when a second storey addition to one section of the building caused major structural cracks and separations.
"The construction of a new fire station is necessary to enable the Jamaica Fire Brigade to effectively fulfill its mandate of minimising loss of lives, injury to persons and damage to
property from fire, natural disasters and accidents," he said.
The funds for financing the construction of the new fire station in Falmouth are to be provided from the Local Government Ministry's Capital 'A' Budget over the fiscal year 2005/06 and 2006/07.
