Daryl A. George, director of the Virgin Islands Fire Service (VIFS), has announced the soft opening of the Coral Bay Fire Station on St. John, which occurred Thursday, May 17.
The reopening of the station comes more than a year since it closed due to damages sustained from hurricanes Irma and Maria. During the closure, personnel assigned to the station, who respond to medical emergencies as well as fires and other hazards in the Coral Bay area, had worked from the Calabash Boom Community Center.
With the assistance of the Love for Love City Foundation and federal disaster recovery funding, the VIFS has completed temporary repairs at the station, and personnel will once again respond to emergency calls from the facility.
Director George is looking forward to the firefighters’ return to the Coral Bay Fire Station and is grateful to the public and private partners that made it possible, “On behalf of the Virgin Islands Fire Service, I extend sincere thanks to the Love for Love City Foundation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency and Witt O’Brien’s for their assistance. This would not have been possible without them.”
He also expressed gratitude to Royal American Management, owners of the Calabash Boom Community, saying, “I would be remiss if I did not also thank Royal American Management for allowing the Virgin Islands Fire Service to use the Calabash Boom Community Center as a temporary location for the Coral Bay Fire Station.”
