History

Under the Police Act 1961, Chapter 142 (Laws of the Virgin Islands) and subsidiary Legislation, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) was once responsible for the firefighting in the BVI. In 1981, Mr. W. M. Ward, O.B.E., O.ST.J, F.I FIRE submitted a report to Government on the prospect of having an Independent Fire Service. Mr. Ward was appointed as Fire Services Advisor for the British Virgin Islands, advising on the feasibility of creating a stand-alone Fire Service with special reference to establishment, equipment and training. In 1985, Mr. Colin Graham was appointed as the BVI's first Chief Fire Officer, serving from 1985-1989. In 1989, Mr. Leando O. Stoutt succeeded him, serving until 2011, after which Mr. William W. Penn acted as Chief Fire Officer. On June 5th, 2012, Mr. Zebalon A. Mclean was appointed as Chief Fire Officer.

Mission

To save and protect life and minimize damage to property by preventing and extinguishing fires; carry out rescue and perform other humanitarian services in order to safeguard the Community from the effects of Civil Emergencies including chemical incidents and road traffic accidents; inspect, report and advise on all fire safety matters as they affect the people and property of the British Virgin Islands and reduce the risk of fire through a comprehensive Communications Fire Safety Education Programme.

Vision

We the members of the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Service pledge to protect Life, property and the environment and we will meet our commitment through a proactive approach to continuously enhancing the quality of service we provide. We believe that the local service can be on par with the rest of the world.

Core Values

• We will provide the people of the Virgin Islands with a caring and operationally efficient service that is consistently of high quality and provides value for money;
• We will display effective management of resources in all activities;
• We will continue to develop all staff to a level that ensures their skills and experience meet the needs of the service;
• We will recognize that our customers are partners, who must be provided with quality service.

Our Department

Chief Fire Officer-  Zebalon A. McLean is responsible for the overall administration, operations and planning.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer- William W. Penn, MSc, is responsible for Planning and Operations.

Station Officer- Joseph A.George is responsible for the Support Services Unit and he is supported by a Sub Officer, Fire Officer and the Fire Service Mechanic.

Station Officer- Melvin A. Jeffers is responsible for the Service Delivery Unit and he is supported by a Sub Officer.

Station Officer- Tyronne E. Caddle is responsible for the Human Resources Unit and he is supported by a Sub Officer.

Administrative Support Unit - This unit is made up of a Senior Executive Officer, Accounts Officer II, Officer Generalist I, Office Generalist II and Domestic Cleaners.

In all, there are nine Sub Officers, four Leading Fire Officers and 38 Fire Officers. They comprise of the four shifts at Headquarters, and form crews at Fire Stations in East End,  West End, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke.

The names and ranks of all Junior Officers are listed below: