DELROY BROWN has assessed his performance as chairman of the board of the Jamaica Fire Brigade as mediocre. We suspect he is being easy on himself. Given his own attempt at explaining the difficulties of his assignment as board chairman, as published elsewhere in this edition, he really should not have any difficulty appreciating the frustration of the firemen who are insisting that he should resign.
While the details are yet to be made public, indications are that an unflattering report based on a forensic audit of the Fire Services has been prepared. It most likely will confirm what the public generally knows: that there is a decrepit service, being poorly managed.
As far as the complaining firemen are concerned, among the chief problems affecting them is that key persons who seem to have little clue what to do, where to go and what to say, have been appointed to the board to direct its affairs.
Mr. Brown's response suggests that he has missed the point of the complaints. The issue is not one of who appointed him to the board and who can revoke that appointment. Nor does it matter to any significant degree how many senior firemen sit on the board, as pointed out by Mr. Brown. It all comes down to his leadership.
He is the head of the team that has been given leaking hoses to carry water to put out fires. If he has not been given the tools to do the job, and finding it impossible to carry out the mandate given him by the Government who appointed him, then he should have moved on long ago. There is no need to wait until 2006 as he has indicated he will do.
Of course, we appreciate that the problems plaguing the Fire Services are not of Mr. Brown's making. For years, the services have been limping along, inadequately funded, understaffed, lacking equipment, and generally treated as a pesky acquaintance always seeking a loan.
The irony is that for all the importance of the Jamaica Fire Brigade to the country's social and economic life, and its inability to get the money needed to improve the service, other agencies falling under the auspices of the same Local Government Ministry have not had to suffer the same fate.
The National Solid Waste Management Authority, for example, has proven to be a quiet feeding trough for those closely connected to the party which forms the Government.
As with other issues plaguing that ministry and the Government as a whole, the focus should be less on personalities and more on systems.
With the procurement of new trucks, the proper management systems must be put in place to see that they are maintained and kept in good working order.
A massive overhaul of the fire services is in order. Mr. Brown's stepping down should help to hurry that process along.
