by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services (SKNFRS) would be on the alert to spot any hazards that occur at the 2025 hosting of the St. Kitts Music Festival, June 26 to 28.
The Fire Department conducted a walkthrough of the Warner Park venue in advance to ensure it is safe and secure for the anticipated large crowd.
According to FSSO Pablo Gumbs and FSO STN Davron Clarke on the June 24 edition of Fire Talk, the SKNFRS will play multiple roles, where necessary. These include extinguishing fires, evacuating persons, responding to medical emergencies and structural collapses, and assisting private security, if necessary.
Mr Gumbs said, like last year, a proactive approach was taken ahead of the St. Kitts Music Festival 2025 to aid private security officers with the practical and theoretical knowledge and skills to use a portable extinguisher, so they too can assist with the extinguishing of fires. There is a designated smoking area and scores of vendors will be on the ground using grills and other appliances. Vendors were advised to equip their vending stations with an extinguisher, as well.
“One of the things that we did this year, and last year too, is to help the, you know, they have private security. So what we did is we had some training with the private security to train them how to use a portable extinguisher, to make it even easier. So, because remember, it’s a collaborative effort for everyone, we are working in that environment as one unit. So, each one, teach one, we help one another, so we work together. So we teach them how to use a portable extinguisher. So that in the event that they see a fire, they could actually use a portable extinguisher to, you know, put out the fire at that particular [time].”
Gumbs asserted that fire prevention is not only for firefighters. Fire prevention is everybody’s business.
The support of all agencies under the Venue Operating Centre (VOC) will be working hand in hand to oversee the safety and security apparatus at the event, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Police and Red Cross, among other groupings.
Mr Davron Clarke explained that the Fire Department is a critical organisation, explaining that officers are trained and capable of doing much more than just extinguishing fires and conducting search and recovery.
“We’ll be patrolling in groups, and sometimes some posts might be at standstill locations, and fire extinguishers will also be assigned strategically around. So, if there is anything in the centre, in the middle, wherever, officers will be available, plus the security, go pick up that extinguisher, the correct type of extinguisher, to extinguish the different types of fires. They’ll also assist us. We have the police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Red Cross that will be assisting us in any area possible. Remember that we are also trained in basic first aid. So, in an event that the Red Cross needs help, they don’t have to ask if we are trained and certified. They’ll just call upon us because we are trained and certified. So, we’re not just about putting out fires.”
As it relates to evacuation plans, Clarke informed the public that the gates would be manned throughout the three nights of the festival, and if there is a need to evacuate people, the gates would be open so that they can pass through.
The Fire Department, also a key responding organisation to major traffic accidents, emphasised traffic safety. Mr Davron Clarke and Mr Pablo Gumbs encouraged attendees to carpool to prevent vehicular clusters, and importantly, emphasised the ‘No Drinking and Driving’ policy. A designated driver who is sober was strongly encouraged.
Port Zante replaces the Basseterre High School Grounds as a general parking space for the 27th edition of the St. Kitts Music Festival, with shuttle services available to transport people to Warner Park.
