MANDEVILLE, Manchester:
THE MANCHESTER division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade came in for heavy criticism from members of the Manchester Parish Council during a recent meeting of that body, over the state of its equipment.
The members were upset that the Brigade's equipment to rescue persons trapped in motor vehicles after an accident was not in proper working order.
According to the councillor for Walderston, Leroy Mitchell, firemen were unable to remove an accident victim trapped in his motor vehicle after an accident in his division recently.
The councillor said the piece of equipment commonly referred to as the 'jaws of life' was non-functional, and as a result it took hours to pry the person from the smashed vehicle.
Using strong tones, Councillor Mitchell told the parish's fire chief, Superintendent Maxwell Hines, that no longer could the residents of the parish tolerate equipment important to the saving of lives remaining in disrepair.
He said that no excuse put forward by the Brigade could be seen as justification.
Superintendent Hines said his department has been unable to secure parts for repairing the 'jaws', pointing out that the equipment was manufactured in Austria.
Deputy Mayor and councillor for the Mandeville division, Sally Porteous, who was equally concerned, volunteered to locate the parts needed to effect the repairs.
The Brigade found itself in further hot water with the councillors and in particular Mayor Desmond Harrison, when it was disclosed that one of the parish's fire units was sent to Clarendon.
VERY UPSET
Mayor Harrison was very upset about the move because the parish has always suffered from an inadequate number of fire trucks, which has hampered fire-fighting efforts in the past.
Last year through the efforts of the Manchester Parish Develop-ment Committee, the Japanese government donated two fire trucks to Manchester. According to Superintendent Hines, the donations allowed his department to assist the Frankfield fire station in Clarendon - which had no trucks - with one of its older units.
Mayor Harrison remained concerned and questioned the adequacy of the present number of fire trucks in his parish.
