Wed | Oct 28, 2026

Heart Foundation gets fire alarm system from German Embassy

Published:Thursday | February 1, 2024 | 5:14 PM
German Ambassador to Jamaica, Jan Hendrik van Thiel (second left), cuts the ribbon to officially commission into service a fire alarm system at the offices of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) in Kingston. The system was donated by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Assisting is Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Stewart Beckford (third right). Looking on (from left) are officer in charge of Research, Development and Public Education at the JFB, Superintendent Emeleo Ebanks; Chief Executive Officer of Inter-Global Technology Solution, Kewyn Small; and Chief Administrative Officer at the HFJ, Saccerine Chin. - Contributed photo

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) has received a donation of a fire alarm system for its Beechwood Avenue, St Andrew offices, valued at more than $2 million, from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In her remarks at the recent handover ceremony, HFJ Executive Director, Deborah Chen, thanked the German Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Jan Hendrik van Thiel, for the embassy's benevolence.

Chen pointed out that over the 53 years of the foundation's existence, the non-profit organisation has grown, and in acquiring the building at 28 Beechwood Avenue it was prudent for the entity to undertake some redesigning to make it fit for purpose.

An important consideration in the retrofitting of the building, the executive director pointed out, was ensuring the safety of all staff and clients.

“Although there were some systems in place over the years, we were not optimally prepared in terms of an emergency related to fire, so we are very grateful to the German Embassy, which enabled us to make that step towards acquiring the system,” she noted.

For his part, the German Ambassador noted that this was not the first partnership that the embassy has forged with the HFJ, highlighting a recent joint venture project to upgrade the Above Rocks Health Centre in St Andrew.

He said it is important for the staff and patients of the HFJ to be safe, and so the embassy thought it prudent to provide support in this regard.

“The Fire Brigade does an excellent job, and they can only do it if they get an alert on time. So, the better the system is, the easier the job will be for them (JFB) and for everyone to feel safe. It was a nice project, and we are really happy to join hands and to help you in this respect,” the ambassador said.

Superintendent Emeleo Ebanks of the JFB explained that the Fire Brigade has been working with the HFJ for several years to get the foundation to the point of installing the fire alarm system.

“We have been doing the inspections. We have been making the recommendations and we have been working with them and making sure that this place is a safe place,” he noted, while commending the German Embassy for underwriting the cost of the system.

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that provides both basic and advanced screening for heart disease.

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