Saint Lucia: Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre and Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hillaire visited Taiwan to support the Fire and Emergency Personnel at the Sitting of the House of Assembly on Tuesday, 3rd October 2023.
During their visit to Taiwan, they negotiated support for the focus on citizen security to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies.Â
Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre said, “I am happy to report that the Ambassador to Taiwan, Peter Chia-yen Chen, presented the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force with a donation of equipment to aid in intelligence gathering and a grant of $417,954 to the Forensics Laboratory for the Introduction of Firearms Examinations and Analysis (Phase 2).Â
Furthermore, he asserted, “As we intensify our investment in national security and other protective services, I want to assure our law enforcement officers of my commitment to not only providing resources for the discharging of their duties but also providing conducive working environments.”
Moreover, he appealed for the support of the police force and work together to create a safe and thriving country for all.Â
PM Phillip also said that the administration has secured USD 9,971,000.00 from the Caribbean Development Bank to implement the Enhancing Resilience of the Saint Lucia Fire Service [SLFS] Project. The project’s overall impact is to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the SLFS’s response to current and future emergencies and to improve the country’s climate resilience.Â
The components of the project include:
1. Infrastructure Works and Project Preparation
2. Leasing Land owned by Invest Saint Lucia to be utilised as a practical training ground
3. Engineering and Construction-related Services Â
4. Goods: Provision of appliances, one 1 aerodrome truck, 5 domestic fire trucks, 4 Quick Response Vehicles (QRV), 4 ambulances, and equipment/tools for nine fire stations (including seven (7) local stations and two (2) crash fire halls at George F. L. Charles Airport and Hewanorra International Airport), and Information Communication Technology (ICT) training, equipment and furniture for the SLFSTS.
5. Institutional Strengthening
9i) Grant component of USD 230,500 for a Gender Policy and Action PlanÂ
(ii) Mental Health and Psychosocial SupportÂ
(iii) Development of a Maintenance Action Plan for nine fire stations, and training to execute the plan;Â
(iv) Development of an Operations Manual to guide fire chiefs and officers to improve overall operations of the SLFS; and
 (v) Development of a Sustainability Management Plan
6. Capacity-Building: Provision of technical training for 329 fire officers
7. Project Management