-Norman Grindley/Staff Photographer
Some of the broken down fire trucks and damaged parts that litter the York Park Fire Station in Kingston.
Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
THE NATION'S fire-fighters are facing real threats of being injured or killed not only by fire, but by irate citizens who lose millions when their properties burn.
A severe shortage of equipment has made it impossible for the firemen to do their job adequately.
Describing their predicament as suicidal, firemen told The Sunday Gleaner of instances when they have been physically attacked by angry members of the public, after malfunctioning equipment rendered then ineffective in fighting fire.
"I can't count the amount of times that I have been threatened," said Sergeant Dillon Bond, a 28-year veteran in the service who is stationed at York Park in Kingston.
He recalled an incident at Greenwich Town where he and other firemen were almost lynched by members of the community who blamed the fire department's inefficiency for the death of two children in a blaze.
"The people got so boisterous... we could have got ourselves beaten and killed down there. Those are the dangers firemen face every day. They put our lives at risk with these old equipment."
He also pointed out that there have been times that knives have been drawn, plus residents have hurled stones at fire units.
He declared that "the fire brigade needs help urgently." he said. "I think it is time enough now they do something to help the fire brigade."
LACK OF PROTECTION
This is also the view of a high-ranking officer from the York Park Fire Station, who requested anonymity.
"It is frustrating not having the required equipment, fire-fighting units or the proper protective gear," he said. "We have limited protection. Right now we lack some of the most important ones such as self-contained breathing apparatus, gloves, boots and so on."
Currently, there is only one operational unit at York Park, which is the brigade's headquarters. The only functioning unit there is a water tanker that is not designed to fight fire. The Sunday Gleaner was told that the station needed about six other units in order to operate at an acceptable level.
District Officer Calvin Brown from the Waterford Fire Station, which currently does not have a unit, said that he too has experienced the ire of livid residents.
"I have been hit with stones twice, once in Spanish Town and another time in Naggo Head, but in no case was I hurt."
If a fire breaks out in the communities served by Waterford, this could be catastrophic as the only unit there has been transferred to the Spanish Town Fire Station for more than a month now.
"We are just here in the station as firemen... if there is a fire here we can't do anything about it," said Mr. Brown.
LACK OF SANITARY CONVENIENCES
The situation in the service is further compounded by the state of the sanitary conveniences at some fire stations.
"We have six bathrooms and only one of the shower is working and out of the six toilets only three are functional plus out of the four urinals none is working," explained another fireman from York Park, who also wished to remain anonymous.
But District Officer George Taylor from that station said, "The general working conditions are poor. That goes for everything for accommodation, facilities, equipment the whole nine yards," he said.
The fireman added that the unhygienic condition dissuades him from even taking a bath while he is on duty. He also revealed that Kingston's premier fire station is littered with filthy mattresses and their cries to have them removed have fallen on deaf ears.
In addition, he said that he was in need of a new pair of walking shoes for more than two months now. However, he was told that there is none to replace it.
Even as they lament the direct threat to their lives, firemen are also concerned about the uncertainty of their medical coverage. They said that in the past there have been problems accessing health cards and they have had to foot all medical fees out of their own pockets. Sometimes when they do present the health cards to the medical practitioner, they find out that it is not valid.
They said, too, that the life insurance policy provided by the Brigade was suspended from November last year to January of this year and they are yet to be briefed about the current status of their coverage.
So frustrating is the fire service, they said, that they would not encourage anyone to join it.
"Not at this time because of the general working conditions, lack of equipment and the low morale that exists in the service right now," said District Officer Taylor.
Two weeks ago Local Government Minister Portia Simpson Miller earned the ire of members of her own party when she abstained from a vote on an Opposition resolution decrying the underfunding of the fire services. The motion was defeated by Government MPs.
