A historical edifice goes up in flames

May 11, 2010 Editorial

It is not unusual for medical institutions to go up in flames. In Guyana in recent times fire struck two medical institutions causing extensive damage and disrupting the operations of those institutions as well as the patients.
The first fire struck in the Georgetown Public Hospital compound when a mentally ill man set fire to the psychiatric block. And this exposes one of the shortcomings. One can assume that anyone can lay his or her hand on anything. Inside the Camp Street jail prisoners can lay their hands on just about anything, including cellular phones.
So it came as no surprise that a mentally ill man could have laid his hands on matches which he used with disastrous results. Not only did he cause scores of mentally ill people to be displaced but he also caused the medical institution to incur expenses, using money that could have been better spent on an institution that needs so many other things.
That fire threatened more than the block in which it started and had it not been for the space between blocks and the firefighters the disaster would have been much worse. Yesterday fire struck at another medical facility, this time one of the oldest buildings in the country. The origin of the fire is unknown but something had to be terribly wrong for the fire to spread to such an extent. Throughout the hospital many firefighting equipment can be found. One must now wonder whether the staff was trained to operate the equipment in the event of an emergency.
There was just such an emergency yesterday but the fire spread to alarming proportions. One must ask whether the fire broke out in an almost inaccessible area or in an area away from view. However, knowing the building unless the fire started in a cupboard or some closet, it should have been noticed. And it was according to reports.
There are reports that a visitor to the hospital spotted the blaze and he grabbed a fire extinguisher and attempted to fight the blaze. His efforts were in vain because he was not supported. There was no one with another fire extinguisher because panic had set in. People were busy trying to evacuate the building rather than save it.
Another shortcoming is inadequate fire hydrants with a steady supply of water. Despite the millions of dollars spent by the Guyana Water Inc. there always seems to be a limited water supply. The firefighters who responded resorted to the bodies of water in the area.
It is clear that at the medical institutions the people are too busy attending to the sick and to the lame to worry about training in fire prevention; they are too busy making ends meet and planning for the next job to worry about issues such as fire fighting skills. To their credit, though, they were remarkably professional when it came to clearing the burning institution of patients and remaining with them through the ordeal.
The Camp Street jail had its own firefighting capabilities as do other major institutions like Banks DIH and Demerara Distillers Limited. They know the importance of protection and they have invested. We must now ask ourselves whether every major institution should not invest in firefighting capability.
For starters, most of them are made of wood and have been standing around for more than half a century. The replacement cost would be exorbitant. In fact, it would be cheaper to invest in firefighting capability that to replace the building. Some would argue that the insurance is enough. However, the replacement cost often outweighs whatever the insurance.
What is most unfortunate about this most recent fire is the destruction of a landmark. The building was a heritage site—a building replete with history. Guyana has lost an edifice because of a lack of independent firefighting capabilities.

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