Senior Fire Officer, Guyana Fire Service

Andrew Derwin Holder is a senior fire officer with 28 years of service in the Guyana Fire Service. He has revolutionized the firefighters’ training regime in Guyana during his tenure as Training Officer, which includes combating forest fires. 

Mr. Holder has been recently appointed Guyana’s representative to the technical working group of the Amazon Network for Integrated Fire Management (RAMIF) of Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and the FAO Global Fire Management Hub Interoperability Group. His passion is to establish a national body in Guyana which will focus on a coordinated approach towards wildfire management. 

Mr. Holder endeavors to work towards strengthening preventative and response capacities of the indigenous people in addressing the rising challenges of climate change and to reduce the ecological, social and economic impacts of forest fires in Guyana and to strengthen regional and international cooperation for the enhancement of training, sharing of knowledge, technology transfer, mutual aid and support in the form of the acquisition of tools, gears, PPE’s and equipment.

Mr. Holder strongly believes that the globe is losing the battle against wildfires fueled by the impacts of climate change. ‘The statistics of the last 30 years have proven this. However, he is of the strong conviction that if we are to change the current trajectory, we must be serious about embodying the true essence of the word co-operation.

Guyana