Desmond Henry TREASURE BEACH:
THIS COUNTRY'S emergency services are being taken entirely for granted. So much so, that few realise how deeply unreliable these services are, and the broken-down state in which most of them are kept.
The four major ones - ambulance, fire, police, and sea rescue - have been the source of continuing news stories indicating the pitiful state into which they have fallen, or alternatively their failure to serve their legitimate purposes.
Recently our news services have been replete with stories from urban and rural centres of emergency calls not being responded to, and a pervading (almost expectant) lethargy surrounding the expectation of the call. In many instances it is as if it is designed to intimidate the caller with a sense of 'how dare you', even when it is known that the service will not arrive or, if it does, will be so shorthanded as to be of little or no effect. Let's take them one by one.
Ambulance: This is perhaps the worst of them all, or to be fair, might be running just about even with the fire services. From most rural standpoints, ambulance services are close to being a sick joke. Where the equipment does exist they're either broken-down, in the garage, out of parts, out of gas, or out of reach. Just remind yourself of the number of press reports you've read or heard of recently, affecting derelict ambulances. Also think of the many that never make the news.
Fire: This area is even more frightening, because its consequences are so devastating. Apart from the absence of reliable units the process is compounded by the state of non-functioning water supplies, fire hydrants and other auxiliary parts to combat fire outbreaks, especially in rural Jamaica. One gets the impression that parked, inoperative fire units are at times mainly for show rather than for use. Parish Councils who have final responsibility for these areas, seem to enjoy a perverse kind of 'send the fool a little further' exercise.
Police:Because the national imperative against excessively rising crime is so demanding, the police services are comparatively better than the others. This does not mean, however, that it is either modern, efficient or professional. There are still many instances of no vehicles, no gas or just plain no service. As for phone calls that go unanswered, unattended or uncatered to, these are legion.
Sea Rescue:Talk to any fisherman, whose daily chore takes him way off shore, about his worst fears at sea and he will promptly tell you it is that of not being rescued in an emergency. Here again that is because a reliable service is just not available.
What to do? I think the first and foremost thing that's needed is a complete and total research of this country's emergency services. And here I make the difference between continuing emergency and the sporadic ones like hurricanes and floods. Policy-makers need to have a comprehensive picture of what is, what should be, and what's to be done. I mean the kind of applied research that is commonplace in societies where governments and educational institutions work together. The kind of research that separates mere academic exercises from sound practical demands. Anyone familiar with the effective links between colleges and communities in the US, know that a great many of that country's practical successes are derived from the ongoing free-flow between campus labs and executive offices. We must begin to understand and practice that kind of synergy here in Jamaica. That's the kind of stuff that Mona should long ago have been engaged in.
In light of all this, I am proposing that an institution such as Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville consider the possibility of seizing an opportunity and positioning itself to become the most authentic centre for applied research and analysis in Jamaica. And no better subject to begin than a thorough examination of this country's emergency services. A well designed set of credit courses utilising their students and faculty would put them on a strong path to help taking guesswork out of this country's homework.
I raise this even without prior discussion with their president, Dr. Herbert Thompson, mainly because of my deep respect for that institution's community thrust and vision. I believe that if they ever agreed to such an initial mission, a compelling case could be made for its authoritative handling of others from here on in. And what a refreshing perspective it would bring to the role of a university and its community. From there on, questions of continuing funding (public and private) and the eventual dismantling of our cultural dilatoriness would be exposed and expunged. This country needs to establish once and for all, a credible believable source in applied, usable research.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
There are no rules of architecture, for castles in the clouds.
Desmond Henry is a marketing strategist based in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth.
