WILLEMSTAD - Up until September 2023, the Curaçao Fire Department has provided assistance a total of 779 times, including 48 incidents related to house fires. During these incidents, seven individuals lost their lives.
Minister of Justice, Shalten Hato, states that this number is alarmingly high, and he is currently in discussions with the Curaçao Fire Department for a more structured approach and increased awareness.
The minister supports the initiative of the Prevention and Safety March organized by the police in Montaña and Tera Kòrá. For 2024, he promises to organize more of these preventive marches from the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with all partners in the legal chain, to disseminate more information about prevention. "More prevention means less repressive action by the fire department," concludes Hato.
Fire Chief
This effort aligns with the official appointment of Jair Tromp as the new Fire Chief of Curaçao. Tromp, who previously served as the chief of the fire department in the BES islands for seven years, started his duties in October.
The chief has studied in Curaçao and has lived on the island for an extended period. Tromp was previously part of the Aruba Fire Department and served as the General Commander of the fire departments in the BES islands.
According to the newly appointed fire chief, the Curaçao Fire Department has more potential than other departments on the islands. On Curaçao, he deals with a single government, whereas in the BES islands, he had to navigate the governments of each island and that of the Netherlands. Therefore, dealing with just one government in Curaçao is much simpler.
Tromp, a former government advisor, aims to professionalize and modernize the fire department, providing training for colleagues, proper accommodation, and the necessary equipment for the job. He notes that there is a lot of mistrust within the Curaçao fire department, but he works daily to improve this. His goal is to professionalize the department.
Regarding finances, he mentions that it is better regulated than in Aruba. There is more funding available for the fire department in Curaçao, but it needs to be spent wisely. Too much money makes one lazy and uncreative, Tromp concludes.