Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter

One of the island's three fire boat's docked at Kingston Harbour on Thursday, August 31, 2006. All of the boats are in need of repairs and new boats are needed since the fire brigade is unable to deal with severe fires which may occur at sea. The other boats are located in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. - Brian Carless/Freelance Photographer

THE GLEANER has learnt that all three fire boats assigned to the harbours in Kingston; Ocho Rios, St Ann and Montego Bay, St James are out of service, essentially leaving boats, ships and other vessels that use them, at risk.

The boats are designed to respond to fires at sea and without the boats, vessels will have to fend for themselves in the event of an emergency.

A source at the Jamaica Fire Brigade told The Gleaner that the fire boats in Kingston and Ocho Rios have been out of order for several months, while the boat that was assigned to Montego Bay was damaged in early January by heavy winds and storm surges caused by a cold front.

The source told The Gleaner that: "All three of them are down and they told us that we may not be getting any for the next three years. It is a danger to the wharves, piers and harbours. Visitors are coming in on the cruise ships and that shouldn't be so without the fire boats. And our harbour is rated number one in the Caribbean?"

Reports reaching The Gleaner are that there was a recent fire on a yacht at the Yacht Club in Port Royal, but there was no boat to respond.

Mobay boat being repaired

Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Larry Williams, told The Gleaner that the boat in Montego Bay is currently being repaired. He also said there were plans to repair the other damaged boats, but he could not say when these repairs would be completed. The commissioner admitted that international standards dictated that each harbour should have at least minimum fire protection.

"We understand the concerns about rescue. We share your concerns and those that can be repaired are being repaired. We are also looking to expand the number of boats, especially in light of our plans for Port Antonio to become a new harbour," Williams said.

As it relates to the acquisition of new boats, in the event that the damaged ones cannot be repaired, he declined to comment, saying he would prefer to speak to the minister before revealing that information.

Robert Montaque, minister of Local Government Reform, said he was awaiting a requested status report from the Fire Brigade to properly understand the current crisis that exists within the organisation.

Montaque said he was aware that the fire boat in Montego Bay had been damaged.

"I have asked the Fire Brigade Board to provide a comprehensive review of the status of the assets and effectiveness of the service we have now," he told The Gleaner.

Until then, the minister said he is unable to comment as to the ineffectiveness of fire boats.

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Wayne Cummings, admitted that he was not aware of the magnitude of the problem, but said, "That is a major concern, particularly as it relates to cruise ships. The fire boats are also useful to other boats.