Fire chief still available to serve, though past retirement age

Last Updated on Wednesday, 1 April 2026, 23:10 by Writer

The acting fire chief, Gregory Wickham said he remained ready to continue serving as Chief Fire Officer, though he has long past the retirement age of 55 but has been retained on an annual contract.

Mr Wickham, who turned now 58 on January 19, 2023, on Wednesday could not immediately say when his current annual contract would expire, but he deflected questions about whether he was standing in the way of someone else being promoted the position of Chief Fire Officer.

“Here I am serving and as long as I’m called to serve, I will be offering that service,” he said when asked by Demerara Waves Online News whether he had plans to demit office.

At the same time, he said the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was laying the groundwork for upward mobility of its members. “As we speak, we have two ranks, who are on the Standard Officers Course, and on the conclusion of that course, they will be promoted to what we call cadet officers. We have other ranks elevated to other senior positions,” he said.

[simpay id=”85861″]The acting Chief Fire Officer said the GFS recently received approval for its officers to be elevated to assistant divisional officers.

Provision, he added, had also been made for two more divisional officers. “Yes, the scope for development and promotional opportunities are there,” he added.

The police commissioner, Clifton Hicken has also been retained beyond his retirement age.