their new-found enthusiasm, Bermuda's Chief Fire Officer Mr. Reginald Rawlins said this week.

And until he is satisfied the 32 volunteers are properly prepared, they will not be allowed to respond first to any fires beyond St. George's municipal boundaries.

Bermuda Fire Services has agreed to train the St. George's firefighters, Mr.

Rawlins said, and assessment and training will start as soon as the East Enders are ready to begin.

Speaking publicly for the first time on the controversial issue, Mr. Rawlins denied charges from St. George's residents that he is prejudiced against volunteer firefighters and is trying to extend his own professional territory.

"I mean no disrespect to the volunteers,'' he said. "I was a volunteer. Most of my senior officers were volunteers ... But they need a level of expertise that better suits them for the dangerous task that they are volunteering to do. Safety of the firemen has to be paramount.

"When I send my firefighters out to deal with a situation, they are trained to deal with it. They recognise the dangers to themselves and to everyone else. I'm pretty certain the volunteers of St. George's are not trained to that level.'' At one time, St. George's volunteers were the first to be called to fires as far east as Crawl Hill. But according to Mr. Rawlins, the brigade gradually fell back to St. George's boundaries as the supply of volunteers ran short -- much as the Hamilton station came to rely on professionals as its supply of volunteers dwindled.

"The system changed by itself,'' he said.

Now, with a new fire chief, the brigade is clearly enjoying a resurgence. But, much to the volunteers' chagrin, they are only used as back-up for any fires outside town limits.

The issue was brought to the fore last month when a tornado caused severe damage in St. David's -- and firefighters from nearby St. George's were kept on hold for several hours while the men from Hamilton and the US Navy moved in.

Last week a group of St. George's residents backed by their MPs handed the Premier a petition signed by more than 300, demanding that the St. George's volunteers not be confined to the town.

Mr. Rawlins agreed that, superficially, it seemed peculiar that St. George's men were not the first called even when they were closest to the fire.

The Bermuda Fire Service, which covers the rest of Bermuda with stations in Hamilton and Port Royal, can reach anywhere in the western half of the Island within seven minutes.

But heading east, Mr. Rawlins said, seven minutes have passed by the time fire engines reach Smith's Parish.

At present, the US Naval Air Station's fire department is the first called to East End fires that are not within St. George's boundaries. As a result, Mr.

Rawlins said, East Enders get service as quickly as they do in other parts of the Island.

Mr. Rawlins said he anticipated that, one day, the East End would have a fire station housed with full-time professional firefighters. But he said it was clear that such an idea was "ludicrous'' in this time of recession.

It is harder to operate a volunteer station than it used to be, Mr. Rawlins explained. Family and employers are generally more demanding of time, and people are more likely to live and work farther from the centre of towns.

But he said he had no objection to a volunteer fire department -- as long as the volunteers were properly trained, committed, and had the right equipment.

Some St. Georgians have argued that the vast majority of fires in their area are relatively small and simple, for which their men are more than adequately trained.

But Mr. Rawlins argues that "there is no such thing as a simple fire.'' Modern technology -- such as increased use of plastics and hydraulics -- made many fires more difficult and dangerous.

More importantly, he said, there was a greater awareness of how dangerous fires have always been and more sophisticated techniques and equipment for dealing with the risks.

It would be unconscionable for the Chief Fire Officer to send out firefighters who had not received the training that is available, he said.

"The reason St. George's are not asked to go out of their municipal area is, as it presently stands, that they are not equipped or trained to the level where they can be given the responsibility to adequately deal with an emergency situation by themselves,'' he said.

Until the training is given, Mr. Rawlins said, the US Navy and the firefighters from Hamilton would ensure that St. George's residents "are no less protected than they have been in the last 30 years.'' Chief Fire Officer Mr. Reg Rawlins.