Twenty-two fire officers in the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) have been appointed to the posts of Divisional Officer, Station Officer, Sub-Officer and Leading Fire Officer under the new Public Service (Appointments) Act 2020.
Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard, presented 20 of those officers with their letters of appointment during a short ceremony at the BFS’ Cheapside, St. Michael headquarters today.
“You are now in a position of leadership, but leadership has nothing to do with seniority or one’s position in the pecking order of an organisation. It has nothing to do with titles. The rank or post that you officially assume today does not automatically make you a leader. You do not need a title to be a leader. You received the title because you are a leader,” he stated, noting that leadership was not the same as management.
Rather, he told the new appointees that leadership was about influencing others in a way that maximises their efforts towards the achievement of a goal.
The Chief Fire Officer stressed that their appointment instruments were not an “official licence to abuse or lord over others”, but their authority to be firm, fair and friendly.
“It is your official directive to be a positive example to your subordinates and colleagues, and be the role model they all can emulate,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Mr. Maynard acknowledged that there were approximately 14 fire officers who were left out of the arrangement.
Stating that no effort would be spared in pursuing a resolution on their behalf, he explained that in some cases, the officers were acting in posts and were then called to act in higher posts. As a result, the Fire Chief explained, they did not meet the three-year criteria in a position by October 1 as stipulated under the new Act.
“I don’t believe that it was in any way meant to omit these dedicated and committed officers…,” he said. However, Mr. Maynard indicated that that the administration of the BFS was working closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of the Civil Service to see how that issue can be rectified.