Some citizens have repeatedly complained about the defunct 911 emergency line. It also remains a troubling problem for the government. However, the Ministry of Public Security is currently working to solve this issue.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Ministry is in consultation with local telephone service provider, Digicel as it prepares to develop a command centre to effectively handle emergency calls. The establishment of the command centre will better streamline calls to the 911 (Guyana Police Force) and 912 (Guyana Fire Service) emergency lines. The 912 line will also be split to accommodate the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to improve the medical response services time.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan says the efforts are ongoing to find a location to house the command centre.
This new system will come under the Smart City project which is currently being evaluated for implementation and funding, Minister Ramjattan explained.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) held a graduation ceremony on Monday, certifying 29 persons who completed the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) training.
The EMTs will be dispatched to Fire Stations along the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara upon completion of a two-week practical session at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. When the pilot is launched, there will be four ambulances which will be assigned to the GFS. The EMS is a collaborative effort between the Ministries of Public Security and Public Health.
