Daily Water Testing Critical to BDF’s FMF Operations
BDF Media Release| 19 June 19
Photography credit: Lieutenant S Gollop
The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) Field Medical Facility (FMF) is tested daily to ensure that it meets the Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization standards for a Type One Facility. Health and Safety Officers, Officer Cadet (OCdt)Sherish McCaskie, and Fazal Mohammed, run tests daily at the FMF.
“We are ensuring that the water is good for the camp. We are assessing it three times a day to ensure that we are maintaining good standards for consumption. We want to ensure that persons are abiding by good standards while we are here,” Mr, Mohammed said. He explained that they were testing for chemicals in terms of the microbial, physical and radiological aspects.
The Health and Safety Officer explained that testing was done using two kits. The first, looked at free chlorine testing and total chlorine testing which gave a chemical analysis of the water to indicate how much chlorine it contained. In addition, the water is also monitored for its hardness and to determine how pure it is for consumption.
OCdt McCaskie explained that the “hardness” of the water could affect its smell, the ability of clothes to get soapy when washing and the temperature at which water boils.
The team will be in place for the duration of EX TW19 to ensure the water quality is maintained to a high standard.
Highlights
Commodore (Cdre) Errington Ricardo Shurland was appointed Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 1 September 2021. He enlisted in the BDF in February 1984 and in a military career spanning over 34 years, has served in various operational and administrative appointments.
Colonel Glyne Grannum joined the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 18 October 1985 and underwent career development training at the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School, Chilliwack and the Combat Training Centre, Gagetown New Brunswick, Canada. He subsequently attended the Infantry Training Centre and the Signal Wing in Warminster, UK (PCBC and RSO Courses respectively), the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy; the Lester Pearson Canadian Peacekeeping Centre, the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, Kingston, the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, Toronto, the National Defence University of the People’s Liberation Army People’s Republic of China and the Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies, National Defence University, Washington. He also attended a Defence Resources Management programme at National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada. In addition to being a qualified infantry officer, Col Grannum is a qualified Regimental Signals Officer and a former Operations Officer and Finance Officer of the BDF.
Colonel Banfield joined the Barbados Battalion of the South Caribbean Force in 1941 having just left the Cadet Corps at Combermere School, and was granted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1942. He was a Platoon Commander and a Company Commander during the war and served in Barbados, Dominica (as part of the Gale Force), St Lucia and St Vincent.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Colin Marshall is a graduate of the St Michael, and was born on the 5 November 1969 and enlisted in the Barbados Defence Force on 16 August 1994. He was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in August 1997, Corporal in 1999, Sergeant in 2007, Color Sergeant in 2014, Warrant Officer Class Two in 2017 and Warrant Officer Class One in 2020. He was Most Outstanding Student on Junior Leadership Course in 1998, the Most Outstanding Student on Junior Non Commissioned Officer Cadre in Jamaica in 2000, best at Leadership on the Search Adviser Course in Jamaica in 2007 and the Most Outstanding Student on the Warrant Officer Course in Jamaica in 2015.
