Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 28, 2012 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
A few years ago, there was a Joint Services demonstration at the Eve Leary Ground. The demonstration was attended by hundreds of Guyanese, including the media.
The fire service was supposed to put on a demonstration of dousing a fire. A model building constructed out of plywood was built and was set alight for the demonstration.
The firemen rushed across the ground with their hoses at the ready. They aimed at the fire. Nothing came out of the other end. Somebody had forgotten to turn on the water.
The crowd burst out into laughter. A fire extinguisher had to be brought out to help put out the flame. It was a colossal foul-up on the part of the firefighters.
The good news this week is that Guyana may soon be in a position to train regional firefighters. This shows that Guyana is using its cost advantages towards becoming a regional training centre for the training of firefighters.
But it is hoped that when the regional firefighters come here, that the trainers will not foul up as they did on that day when they forgot to connect the hose to the water supply.
Most of the countries of the region should find it more economical to send their firefighters here for training. They will get excellent training from our firefighters since we have had the benefit of years of fighting fires, including fires which were set during political insurrection and uprising.
The hot weather also will give the trainees good training in how to douse bush fires.
Guyana’s jungle can also be used to train regional soldiers. This is something that our armed forces should seriously consider. Already, foreign soldiers receive training along with local ranks in the officer’s course of the Guyana Defence Force. This program can be extended to other regional armies since many of them would love to be exposed to the sort of environment that Guyana provides.
You name it and we have it. From the wet rainforests to the dry sandy areas to flooded savannahs and high mountains, Guyana has it all. Guyana can become the training center of the Caribbean not just for firemen but also for soldiers.
The Americans have brought their troops to conduct training in our jungles. There are some people who believe that the Americans also use these opportunities to spy and gather intelligence on our country just in case they may need it in the future and judging from what was revealed in Wikileaks, anything, even gossip, passes for intelligence by the Americans.
Guyana has always boasted about its natural resources except that the exploitation of these resources has never by themselves made our country or its people rich.
Guyana also has a great deal of knowledge and while this may not be sufficient to make us rich also, it can allow us to become a centre for all kinds of training.
Right now agronomists from the Caribbean are trained at the Guyana School of Agriculture and there is no reason why this program cannot be extended to other areas.
Guyana has an excellent medical programme. It is relatively cheap by both regional and international standards. There is no reason why Guyana’s medical programme cannot attract students from across the Caribbean. This is something that should have been more actively pursued by the local university since Guyana should set its sights on becoming the training centre for the Caribbean for medical students.
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