As Haiti works to shore up its emergency response infrastructure ahead of the 2027 operational cycle, a key initiative to strengthen rescue and fire services in the country’s northern region has moved into its next implementation phase. A working delegation from Haiti’s General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC), headed by Director General Emmanuel Pierre, recently traveled to Cap-Haitien to advance the French-funded Phénix project, holding coordinated planning sessions with top local government officials.
During the visit, the DGPC team met with Marc Présumé, the North Department’s regional delegate, and Michel Saint-Croix, mayor of Cap-Haitien, to align on project priorities. Discussions centered on three core objectives: auditing progress of already approved interventions across the North Department, aligning ongoing work streams with local government priorities, and mapping out concrete next steps for rolling out new upgrades. The talks also zeroed in on key project milestones, preconditions for launching upcoming construction and supply efforts, and long-term plans for building sustainable, high-capacity rescue and firefighting services across the department.
Two core focus areas will anchor the project’s next phase of work. First, the initiative will fund full rehabilitation of existing emergency response centers across the region, bringing aging facilities up to modern operational standards. Second, it will deliver specialized, fit-for-purpose protective and operational gear to frontline rescue and firefighting personnel, addressing longstanding gaps in equipment access that have hampered response efforts.
The working visit also served as an opportunity to finalize pre-construction requirements for upcoming renovation work at the Cap-Haitien central fire station, which is scheduled to kick off in the coming weeks. All planned upgrades are designed to transform outdated infrastructure, improve difficult working conditions for first responders, and expand the overall operational capacity of emergency services across the North Department.
In addition to infrastructure and equipment planning, participants discussed immediate operational priorities as the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season draws to a close. The group also mapped out measures to ensure uninterrupted service delivery during the project transition and lay the groundwork for 2027 operational planning.
At its core, the DGPC’s visit aims to embed the Phénix project’s interventions in a long-term strategy for sustainable capacity-building for local fire and rescue teams. By continuing the momentum of already completed work, project stakeholders will consolidate existing gains and gradually support emergency services to boost their response capabilities, ultimately delivering more reliable protection for the Haitian public.
The Phénix project is backed by funding from the French Development Agency (AFD), and is co-implemented by Expertise France and Haiti’s DGPC, in close partnership with national and local Haitian government authorities.