Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Mayor of Montego Bay Glendon Harris says six years is enough time for the tourism capital to have its fire boat replaced.

"It is necessary here in Montego Bay to have a fire boat, being that we are a resort area. We must have a fire boat as we have a lot of high-rise hotels on the waterfront. So it's a necessity," Harris charged in a press briefing after the monthly meeting at the St James Parish Council on Thursday.

Montego Bay has been without a fire boat since 2008. The vessel, which is normally anchored in proximity to the River Bay Fishing Beach in Montego Bay, was damaged when heavy winds generated by a cold front repeatedly slammed it against huge rocks.

In 2009, Robert Montague, then minister with responsibility for local government, had promised that a new fire boat would be purchased, courtesy of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

"We are aware that some time ago the TEF had indicated they would fund the purchase, but in principle we have to get the necessary quotations and meet the necessary criteria," the mayor said last week.