St. Ann schoolchildren get fire safety and drug-prevention lessons

Pupils at Golden Grove All-Age School in St. Ann left a June 25 session better prepared to stay safe and avoid harmful substances, after a joint education drive focused on fire awareness and drug prevention.

The NGD Quintessential Foundation mounted the programme with the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) and the Jamaica Fire Brigade. Children received hands-on guidance on stopping fires before they start, how to react in an emergency, how to leave a building safely, and why drug misuse is dangerous.

The outing sits within the Foundation’s wider work to lift outcomes in vulnerable and underserved communities by mentoring, advocating, and expanding educational opportunities.

Natayla Reid, Director of the NGD Quintessential Foundation, said the group treats early action as essential if young people are to choose well. “We don’t just want to be reactive in the students’ lives. We want to be proactive. We want to be able to nip it in the bud so that they can understand the consequences of misusing drugs,” she said.

Fire Brigade personnel ran an interactive segment showing how to avoid fires, cope when one breaks out, and exit buildings without panic. Organisers framed the drill as practical know-how for school and home, with safer households and neighbourhoods as the longer-term gain.

NCDA officers also walked students through the bodily, emotional, and social harm tied to substance misuse. Learners were shown how to spot dangerous products, including those used for vaping, and urged to check what is listed on snacks and other items they eat.

Ms. Reid said the children’s engagement stood out. “They were able to tell what vaping was. They were able to tell what to look for in the snacks that they purchase, and this is where we want to be,” she noted. She said the sessions aim to arm pupils with facts before risk-taking becomes an option, so they can choose responsibly.

The NCDA, school leaders, and the Foundation also talked through rolling out the NCDA’s In-School Drug Prevention Programme at the school from September 2026.

Ms. Reid said the Foundation prizes alliances that deepen community progress and open real paths for young Jamaicans. “We want them to understand that they can be the next Prime Minister, the next Minister of Education, the next Minister of Health, the next Minister of Agriculture. They can be anything that they want to be, but they have to make the right decisions,” Ms. Reid outlined.

NGD Quintessential Foundation is a community-based non-profit based in Farmers Heights, St. Ann. Directors Natayla Reid, Gawayne Bailey, and Donovan Lynch head the group; their first initials supply the name NGD.