More than a dozen local first responders and rescue crews received four days of intense training in Freeport last week. Participants learned specialised skills to enable them to assess and respond to emergency situations.

The four day course, organised and hosted by Bella Investment Services, included in-depth classroom instruction from highly qualified instructors as well as hands-on practical experience, ranging from securing ropes to a simulated confined space rescue.

Instructors from the Florida State Fire College worked with the eager students that came from government agencies, search and rescue crews, and private companies. Topics covered included: hazardous materials response, structural collapse, high-angle rescue, confined space rescues, trench rescue, advanced structural firefighting, aircraft rescue fire fighting, incident command, among other specialised skills.

President and Managing Director of Bella Investment Services Darren Rollins said that his company was compelled to arrange the training session because of the increased industrial activity on Grand Bahama. ?With the millions of containers that pass through the port of Freeport, the millions of gallons of stored petroleum products, and the heavy industrial ship repair and construction work done here, the demand for rescue skills and hazardous materials handling has gone up,? Rollins said. ?Bella Investment Service provides these services today, but we felt it is important enough to spread the knowledge and skills around to a wider group.?

Herb Ennis, training coordinator from Florida State Fire College, demonstrates the use of assisted breathing apparatus that is used by rescue personnel. Mr Ennis was part of the team that conducted training in hazardous materials handling and rescue operations that was hosted by Bella Investment Services in Freeport. Rollins also noted that any serious hurricane or other natural disaster would place a greater demand on emergency services personnel. ?Those situations can create a huge drain on limited resources of our island, so the more people that are trained and prepared to deal with these, the better off we all are,? Mr Rollins stated.

Eric Schultz of the Florida State Fire College was one of the instructors that worked directly with the participants. He explained the importance of both government and private entities working together in emergency response. ?There has been a tremendous amount of interaction between those teams,? Schultz said. ?Getting a dialogue started so that a comprehensive plan can be established is key to knowing how we would deal with it if an emergency situation should come.?

One of the participants in the course was Justin Snisky of the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA). Mr Snisky said that the training was timely as BASRA had never had to deal with hazardous materials before. ?We were very pleased and grateful that Bella Investment Services are bringing these dangers to the forefront especially with the level of industry going on here in Freeport. The training was eye-opening. Threats are real, even in some everyday situations that we come across,? Snisky noted.

Trainees watch as instructor Herb Ennis of the Florida State Fire College shows various rope techniques that can be used in securing equipment during rescue operations. The instruction was part of the training in hazardous materials handling and rescue operations hosted by Bella Investment Services in Freeport. Safety Officer Dale Russell-Jones of Bella Investment Services explained just how important this training is to the economy of Grand Bahama and the Bahamas. ?This is very important because if a situation should arise where we have to protect not only our community, but also the respondents that are going into these scenes, we are now properly equipped and fully aware of what we should do to keep our surroundings and the environment safe,? Russell-Jones said.

The course is the first in a series planned by Bella Investment Services that will help raise awareness and skills for emergency personnel in the Bahamas.


Bella Investment Services is a hazardous materials handling and emergency services training company located in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The company was established more than three years ago and has served many major shipping companies, shipping agencies and most of the largest commercial and industrial companies in the Bahamas. The company works along with local and international companies to effectively handle the processing and disposal of ash, oil, sludge, food waste, PCPs, solid waste, lithium batteries and dangerous chemicals. It works with trained medical personnel to ensure the health and safety of its own staff and those that may come in contact with hazardous materials. In addition, the company services ships with supplies and provides all other ship chandlery services.