Over 100 young people converged on the Fire Service headquarters in Grand Cayman in the hopes of snagging one of the 21 openings. More will attend in Cayman Brac in the coming days.
“We are just looking for the best of the best, and those positions are spread out over both Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands,” explained Chief Fire Officer Dwight (Randy) Rankin at the 17 May event.
Currently over 98 percent of the fire service are Caymanians.
“We don’t select based on nationality, but Caymanians tend to have their heart and their roots here,” added Rankin.
“We have found that people who work at the fire service will go the extra mile, even during challenging circumstances such as hurricanes and times of crisis, and that is clear, we have seen that again and again. The fire service steps up, even when no one else will.”
Rankin said that although the job can be tough, he is grateful he chose the career.
“It can be a difficult job of course, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too,” he said.
“Sometimes it takes courage and compassion, but helping others and doing the best you can each day feels meaningful and purposeful, too,” he added. “We try our best to help make challenging and difficult situations safer and better even when faced with dangerous circumstances.”
The chief fire officer believes one of the reasons people respect and want to join the service is because of the strong foundations laid down by former chief fire officer, Kirkland Nixon.
“Mr. Nixon was a teacher and a mentor: He instilled great pride and determination in the fire service, and we still carry that to this day,” Rankin said.
On 17 May, potential new recruits observed demonstrations and watched some of the techniques used during various aspects of the job.
In addition to putting out fires, fire officers attend many other types of traumatic events, including car accidents, toxic chemical incidents and there are complex aerodrome operations, amongst many other aspects.
Chief Rankin said, “It takes years to become a skilled Cayman firefighter, but new officers will be given the support needed to do their jobs effectively and there is a rigorous training program to help them achieve that.”