Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander says he is determined to address operational, leadership and human resource shortcomings at his Ministry, starting with the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service.

With one year in the role, Mr. Alexander says he has hit the ground running to tackle issues across departments under his remit, with the aim of improving services for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking with TTT News, the Minister revealed that the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service was among the first departments identified for urgent intervention on assuming office.

“When I went and had meetings with them, I couldn’t believe that we would have had a Fire Service or we could have a Fire Service in that deplorable situation. So I decided to fix early.”

Among the key early initiatives was the integration of Fire Service reserve officers into the regular service, and the delivery of six fire tenders to the Penal Fire Station.

Minister Alexander promised eight more tenders to be distributed to fire stations across the country, adding that another piece of technology expected is a specialised drone.

“Now, everybody is asking, what drone is that? There will be a drone for the purpose of search and rescue. You know, a lot of hikers go out in the bush now and a drone that can assist in outing fires. It takes possession of the hose and goes straight up to multi-storey building and it assists.”

Taking the Fire Service to the future, the use of artificial intelligence and robotic technology is an integral part of the Minister’s vision.

“Because we go into AI technology, we cannot be left behind. So if this building is on fire, we can send a robot on the inside instead of the human resource at risk. So we send a robot on the inside to ensure that there is no human life here.”

With several more initiatives in train, Minister Alexander is confident that the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service will be one that all citizens can be proud of.