New class of CIFS recruits begin training
Acting CFO Brevon Elliott addresses the new class of fire officers 
Acting CFO Brevon Elliot (far left), Acting Deputy CFO for Aviation Witney Tatum (second from the left), Chief Officer Dax Basdeo (second from the right) and Deputy CFO for Administration Tina Choy (far right) with fire officer recruits 
Chief Officer Dax Basdeo welcomes the new recruits to the CIFS
(CNS Local Life): Twenty-one new fire officer recruits to the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) began their training period on Monday, 26 August, just as the service implements a new extensive 18-month training programme, which the new fire officers will now also be able to take advantage of.
A release from CIFS said that the new fire officers were selected following a recruitment drive held in March 2019 which attracted 170 applicants, of whom 130 were Caymanian. All Caymanians were invited to progress through the recruitment process, with the successful candidates being presented with conditional offers by CIFS in July 2019.
A rigorous testing phase helped CIFS select the most capable candidates for the role and included literacy and numeracy tests, a physical test, face-to-face interviews, medicals and background checks. During the physical test the recruits were required to demonstrate physical strength, stamina and endurance.
“The process our new recruits had to go through before being selected is particularly intensive. We need to know that they are capable of rising to the many challenges of the role before inviting them to join the agency,” Acting Chief Fire Officer Brevan Elliot explained.
“I commend all our newest recruits for the great commitment they’ve shown throughout the recruitment process. We are extremely pleased with the group of men who have been selected and I am confident that they will continue to do well as they embark on basic training over the next several months,” he added.
Dr Dax Basdeo, chief officer for the Ministry of Financial Services and Home Affairs, attended their first meeting on Monday to help welcome the recruits.
“I would like to congratulate everyone for getting to this stage and demonstrating their capabilities,” he told the recruits. “Our goal as a ministry now is to help develop the officers further as we work to foster a world class uniformed service.”
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Category: Civil Service, Fire Service
