Fisher presses for promised Balaclava Fire Station
Published:Wednesday | January 14, 2026 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Everton Fisher, councillor for the Balaclava Division in the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation (StEMC), is again demanding answers on why the long-promised fire station for Balaclava has yet to materialise, despite repeated timelines.
“The Balaclava Fire Station, we haven’t heard any arguments about it,” Fisher told last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the StEMC. “Former Mayor Derrick Sangster would have almost signed it into being. We have had many discussions on it.”
Fisher, himself a former mayor, warned that the matter has reached a sensitive stage, as the landlord of the proposed site appears ready to withdraw support. “I don’t know what the situation is now, but the landlord, he seems to want to withdraw his support for the fire people to get the building,” he said. “I am raising it, fire chief (Mark Edwards, assistant superintendent), because the people have asked me to speak on the matter.”
The Government had identified the Balaclava Fire Station as a critical addition to emergency services in northern St Elizabeth, where coverage is currently provided mainly from Santa Cruz and Mandeville. In 2023, officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development confirmed that Balaclava was earmarked for a new station, with site visits and discussions held on purchasing property.
Yet, Fisher said, the lack of follow-through has left the community in limbo. “It has been a long-standing matter. I would like to know, as the councillor, what is the position of the ministry on purchasing this building, or should he (the owner) move on with another purchaser?” he asked. “These are prudent questions that I am asked, as the representative, to ask of the ministry, through the fire station to the minister.”
Residents have long argued that the absence of a fire station puts lives, businesses and heritage at risk. Their concerns were underscored in 2021 when a blaze destroyed the historic Balaclava Railway Station.
Responding to Fisher, Edwards, who operates from the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s Black River location, acknowledged the concern and pledged to advance it. “I will take your concerns to the hierarchy of the Jamaica Fire Brigade for an update on the matter,” he said.
Fisher reiterated that the people of Balaclava are simply seeking clarity on whether the long-promised station will ever become a reality.