THE FIRE Prevention Division of the Westmoreland Fire Department has raised concerns about the low level of responsiveness to fire prevention programmes, as too many fires have been reported in the parish since the start of the year.
Beverly Reid, District Officer at the Savanna-la-Mar Fire Station, said that despite the Department conducting some 56 lectures, 17 drills and 21 demonstrations on the use of fire extinguishers and the distribution of nearly 1,000 pamphlets since the start of the year, fires continue to occur in the parish.
She told the JIS that a total of 52 houses and business places with a value of $76 million have been destroyed since January, with three elderly persons and one infant losing their lives. In addition, hundreds of persons have been left homeless.
"Since 1995, the Westmoreland Fire Prevention Unit has been consistent in carrying out various education programmes, but people are still not fire conscious. Citizens seem not too enthused to take time to involve themselves in these educational opportunities hence, when a fire breaks out, they panic, not knowing what to do," Miss Reid bemoaned.
District Officer Reid informed that as part of activities to observe 'Fire Awareness Week' recently, the public was invited to an open day, where fire safety prevention measures were demonstrated. The event was poorly supported.
"On that very day when we make provisions for people to be sensitised on managing fires, an elderly person was burnt to death in the town of Savanna-la-Mar. This fire started as a result of carelessness on the part of certain persons and could have been averted," she stated.
She made a call for all citizens to become more safety-conscious and visit the fire station to learn more about fires and how they could make their property and surroundings safer.
Acting Superintendent at the Savanna-la-Mar Fire Station, Dave McLaughlin, also appealed to citizens to become more concerned about the safety of themselves and others in their care.
He has advised that everyone in a household become familiar with their surroundings and know how to get around the house in the dark in the case of a fire. Keys should be put in an area where they can be reached in a hurry and no lights should be turned on if the strong odour of gas was detected.
"Once there is an emergency and all persons are able to safely leave the house, under no circumstances should anyone try to re-enter. Instead, they should wait outside until the fire brigade arrives on the scene," Mr. McLaughlin stressed.
