St. Kitts and Nevis adds new fire truck at RLB Intl Airport to better address emergencies

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis increased the fleet of fire appliances at the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport from 3 to 4 after the commissioning of the state-of-the-art 6×6 Rosenbauer Panther on Friday. The commissioning was held during a ceremony at the RLB Fire Hall. 

According to the information, the new appliance was bought from Austria via regional agent Indocom Ltd which is based in Trinidad and Tobago. 

The Rosenbauer Panther was constructed as per standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and holds a capacity of 3000 gallons of water, 400 gallons of foam and 500 pounds of dry chemical. 

It is being said that the addition of this new truck positions the RLB International Airport above the Category nine rating. 

The Acting Prime Minister Dr Geoffrey Hanley while commissioning the truck noted the government’s dedication to enhancing the capabilities of the St Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services. 

He said that the acquisition of this new fire truck is a signal for the international airlines that the airport is fully equipped to respond to emergencies related to aircrafts. He added that that as the administration is building out the aircraft infrastructure to accommodate increased flights to St Kitts and Nevis, there is a need to concomitant development of the firefighting capabilities. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew also took to Facebook to commend Minister Hanley and the Chief and staff of the fire department for the official inauguration of the new fire appliance at RLB International Airport.

PM Drew noted, “As we expand our airlift and upgrade our services at the airport the safety of all must be the highest priority and this new fire appliance helps in this regard.”

While talking about other investments at the airport, he noted that the administration just recently commissioned a set of automated passport control kiosks (machines for immigration self-check) which cut the waiting time highly. He added that the administration will continue to invest heavily in the country as it builds towards a sustainable island state.