The fire service needs greater attention

Oct 20, 2009 Editorial

Georgetown is a wooden city and thus the propensity for fires is great, far exceeding what operates in modern cities with their glass and concrete. But there is one point that should not escape notice. The city has been here for nearly 400 years and it really grew to what it was over the past 120 years.
People did not have the sophisticated electricity systems of today but for some reason they were able to prevent their homes from going up in flames. Perhaps this encouraged them to build homes so close together to maximise the earning from the sale of land in the city.
There were fires, some so large that the scars remain to this day but these fires were limited to the main business areas, mostly in downtown Georgetown. Some were the work of arsonists while a few resulted from industrial accidents.
The firefighting equipment was also not as sophisticated as those of today but they were better equipped to cope with the situation. There were fire hydrants and recognising the combustible nature of the city, the authorities ensured that the hydrants all worked.
As recently as two decades ago, most of the hydrants in the city were working. Members of the Guyana Fire Service could be seen opening them and flushing out the system. Those days are over. The hydrants are mere relics—reminders of days long past and unlikely to return.
People have talked. Newspapers have written editorials and comments on the situation but there has been no change. Some officials claim that it would cost millions of dollars to rehabilitate them. It costs as much every time a fire strikes. The only problem is that the money comes from the fire victims.
Neither the Guyana Fire Service nor Guyana water Inc. is claiming responsibility for the operations of the hydrants with the result that these days no fireman in his right senses would rush to a hydrant to attach a hose at the scene of a fire. Instead, they seek water from the myriad canals in the city some hundreds of metres away. It takes time to access these canals. The result is that victims of fires are always quick to blame the Guyana Fire Service. They do not stop to think that these people whose duty it is to fight fires are operating at a severe disadvantage.
Complaints that the fire tenders arrive at scenes without water abound. The people fail to appreciate that the tenders can hold no more than a few hundred gallons of water and this amount is consumed within five minutes. At a large fire scene this is nothing.
That is why one now wonders whether the government pays enough attention to the Guyana Fire Service. Indeed, there was the presentation of some fire tenders the other day. These were supposed to replace those that had long gone to the scrap pile and to support those that should have been mothballed some time ago but which for reasons that support the economic conditions of the country.
We note the expenditures on the police and the army and support any argument that such expenditures are needed but there must be similar expenditures on the Guyana Fire Service. People talk of leaking hoses that dissipate about 20 per cent of the water intended for the fires.
The people of Central Corentyne recognised their predicament and they took a decision to build a fire station since they were in no man’s land—miles away from the fire station in New Amsterdam and from the one in Corriverton. These people are building their own fire station but the government would have to provide them with the fire fighting equipment.
In the city, the wear and tear on equipment is greater than in any other part of the country. The city-based fire equipment must service West Demerara, East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara and of course the city. Small wonder that equipment do not last as long.
The government must take note of this.
But then again, is it not strange that locations without firefighting equipment have less fires than those with ready access to them?

Latest News

The fire service needs greater attention

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 11th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Runsfest ends in draw, as arch rivals play hearts out

Guyana Harpy Eagles trio fined for breaching...

Sport Ministry injects $3M into EDFA League

GCB President meets U15 team ahead of Regional...

Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee, Guyana...

Week 3 of East Bank FA Boys’ U14 League shines...

Features/Columnists

The mirage of citizen investment

Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future

The Great American Experiment

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

The fire service needs greater attention

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 11th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]