Mary Clarke, Children's Advocate. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

THE FIRE PREVENTION division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade say it needs more funds to educate Jamaicans about the dangers of fire, the cruel but controllable master that has claimed the lives of about 100 children in the past decade and has inflicted injury to almost 150 other minors.

"We need money in order to run a good fire-prevention campaign. Fires are not only destroying property but they are claiming lives and it is the lives of the most vulnerable among us," Assistant Superintendent Floyd McLean of the Fire Prevention Division told The Sunday Gleaner.

Between 1995 and 2006, some 919 persons were injured and 391 killed in fires across the island. While the brigade's statistics did not give an age breakdown for the adults killed in fires, Asst. Supt. McLean said golden-agers make up a vast percentage of this number.

More Children Perish

Last year, 15 children perished in fires across the island, along with 29 adults, for a total of 44 fire deaths. The number represents 10 more fire deaths over 2005, when eight children were among the 34 deaths.

Children's Advocate Mary Clarke has lamented the number of young lives being lost through fire and has issued a reminder to parents that they are responsible for the protection of the young. Noting that the Child Care and Protection Act will come into play if a child is harmed or put into harm's way, Mrs. Clarke said persons must take parenting very seriously.

"I am very concerned about the number of children dying in fires as I am about the number of children who suffer other accidental deaths," Ms. Clarke said.

"The loss of one child is the loss of one too many and I am reminding parents, especially fathers, that it is their duty to ensure the safety and protection of children."

The Child Care and Protection Act makes parents primarily responsible for the care and protection of children and mandates all adults to report to the Child Registry any case where it is suspected that the life or well-being of a child is threatened. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.

Commending neighbours in Frome, Westmoreland, for report-ing to the Child Development Agency (CDA) that they believed Serena Brown, two, and Lamar Bennett, four, were in danger because they were often left alone in their house, Ms. Clarke said all Jamaicans should follow and report such instances. Mrs. Clarke noted, however, that the reports did not result in the children being taken to safety. In fact, both siblings died on New Year's Eve when their house caught fire while their mother was away.

Smoke Inhalation

The Frome children were among five killed in recent weeks. In December, two children died at the state-run SOS Children's Village after a fire engulfed their apartment. They died of smoke inhalation. And on New Year's Day, a two-year-old child, Rickaylia Nelson, perished in a fire which gutted her Newton Street home.

While the cause of those fatal fires has not yet been ascertained, Asst. Supt. McLean is convinced that if the brigade is funded to do fire-prevention work, the number of fire victims, property damage and destruction would be significantly reduced.

"Funds are technically non-existent when it comes to fire prevention, but if we are going to win this fight, we must take fire prevention seriously," he said.

Asst. Supt. McLean has estimated that it would take approximately $17 million yearly to run a good fire-prevention campaign.

He said the division would love to flood communities with fire-prevention messages through the distribution of flyers, erection of billboards and the hosting of interactive sessions with families and organisations.

Noting that there has been an increase in residential fires, the fireman said people in unplanned communities particularly, need to be informed of fire prevention.

"These are the places where great atrocities take place," he said, adding that electrical fires caused by either overloaded circuits or the stealing of power led to houses being destroyed in such settlements. Electrical fires, he said, accounted for approximately 40 per cent of residential fires.

The brigade makes several stops at corporate offices which normally invite them in to speak on fire prevention, but interaction with households is minimal.

Jamaica Fire Brigade statistics estimate that there has been some $22.6 billion in fire damage between 1995 and 2006, while fire-fighting has led to more than $560 billion in property being saved.