On the occasion of the International Fire Fighters' Day which was on 4 May, a few activities were held in order to celebrate the hard work by our local firefighters.

To commemorate the International Fire Fighters’ Day which was on 4 May, a series of activities were organised by the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Service Agency (SFRSA) in collaboration with the Airport Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS). The activities will take place over a period of three days from 4 to 6 May 2017. This day is celebrated under the theme ‘Selebre Nou Lakonplisman’.

Two activities were hosted on the day. The first was in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Both events saw the presence of Mitcy Larue, the Minister for Home Affairs; the chief fire officer (CFO) of the SFRSA, Andre Morel; the chief officer of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) Airport Fire Services, Bernard Henriette as well as other invited guests and officers of

the SFRSA and the AFRS.

The Master of Ceremony (MC) for both activities was Jones Madeleine, who is the public relation officer of the SFRSA. The main activity during the afternoon ceremony was the award presentation for long service officers. A total of 55 officers were awarded with certificates. The longest serving firefighters were two women who had served 20 years in the Fire and Rescue Service. They were both presented with their certificates by Minister Larue. Three other officers were awarded with certificates for 18 years of service, two officers for 17 years, four officers for 16 years and one officer for 15 years. The other 43 officers were awarded with certificates for serving between ten to 14 years of service in the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Service.

In his speech the deputy CFO of the SFRSA, Mr Albert Rose stated that: “Today is a chance for you to reflect on the differences that you have made in this agency. This long service award is a symbol of your personal and professional achievements, but to the agency it is a beacon of hope that in the difficult employment environment of today we have shown fortitude in retaining experienced and dedicated staff, which are our greatest asset.”

He also pointed out that the success of the agency is as a direct result of each person's efforts and dedication, which the agency cannot do without as it strives to meet its vision and mission to carry out its mandate.

The ceremony also saw the official launching of the SFRSA website where information on fire safety, advice and prevention can be obtained. It will also allow people to access information on the agency itself and provide online application forms for interested candidates who want to build a career with the agency.

At the end of the ceremony there was a group photo of the awarded officers along with Minister Larue and the CFO. The CFO of the SFRSA, Mr. Morel, also took this opportunity to present the Minister with two gifts produced by the SFRSA Social Club in order to commemorate the event.

The longest serving female officers in the SFRSA, Tally Domingue and Cathrina Laurence told TODAY that for them it had been a pleasure to have served so many years in the agency, despite not really wanting to join a team of fire fighters initially.

Ms. Domingue recounted that "at the beginning it was not difficult but different. Because we were surrounded by men. Upon completing our studies at the Seychelles Polytechnic in Humanities and Science our initial idea was to look for a job as secretaries. But we ended up being convinced to join the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Service and I don’t regret having taken fire fighter for a career.”

Ms. Laurence added that being a firefighter has helped her to grow. “Here we work as a family. We have served as a great support for other women who joined us along the way. In a way we’ve opened the door for them.”

“Obviously at that time being and being quite young, I had things that I liked to engage in, but when I joined the fire service I had to close that chapter of my life behind me and made my job my first priority. And now my effort has paid off because through my job I’ve been exposed to many opportunities. I have even had the opportunity to visit and work in interesting places, especially islands like Fregate and Denis island - where not everyone would have the chance to visit,” she added.

Ms. Domingue is currently working as the Assistant Divisional Officer in the Emergency and Disaster Management Unit. Ms. Laurence has a similar post but is in the Fire Prevention, Planning and Investigation Unit.

The International Fire Fighters’ Day is observed each year to commemorate the fallen fire fighters around the world. It is also to celebrate the work being done by the fire services and to promote fire prevention and safety. Meanwhile, the activities continue and today there is a Family Fun Day at the airport beach, where various activities will be held to close the event.