
In the January 3, 2023, report titled ‘Medical and Emergency Response on the Sister Islands’ and prepared by the Sister Islands Unit in the Office of the Deputy Governor, the VI Fire and Rescue Services Department found that the sister islands lack emerergy services in certain areas.
“In 2022, Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue confirmed over thirty emergency calls at The Baths National Park. Seeing sometimes over 1,000 guests a day on cruise ship call days, it is imperative that lifeguards are placed at this location when the National Park is open,” the document noted
The Department said; however, there was a full plan developed for this programme, but never implemented due to a lack of resources.
Meanwhile, the report details the need for an emergency boat and that currently, there is a written agreement between a vessel owner and BVIHSA to transport patients from Virgin Gorda to Beef Island for Medical Evacuation.
The report says VISAR has also been used
for different emergencies on several occasions, however, there has been
no agreement or written protocol to establish this.