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Overseas – based Guyanese says new firefighting measures urgently needed in Guyana
US-based Guyanese, Leyland Roopnarine
Guyana’s ‘archaic’ method of firefighting, through water, must be urgently updated if the country is to gain the upper hand over spiraling damages due to fires.
This is the position of Leyland Roopnarine, a Guyanese Real Estate agent based in the United States of America.
He made these assertions during a live video conference with GlobeSpan24x7 on Wednesday evening. The online programme was hosted by Vishnu Bisram, and included U.S. Tech Specialist, Mike Singh; former Candidate in the 2020 Regional and General Elections, Dr. Josh Kanhai; and Mr. Roopnarine, as panelists.
During the conversation, it was highlighted that Guyana is grappling with its antique methods of fire response. In fact, the panelists pointed to the need for better mechanisms to be put in place, such as smoke detectors, sprinklers, and even fire extinguishers in public buildings.
Roopnarine contended, “Our fire fighters only know to fight fire with water. There are far better chemicals that you can use to out fire but, the last and last call anyone should make in the case of a fire is for a fire department with a fire truck to come there, because there are many, many things that you can do if there is a fire that would actually prevent such fires”.
In further making his case, the US-Guyanese told viewers that all public buildings should have curtailing measures in place, rather than depend on the fire service to show up and save a building from fire.
“The first thing you should try to do is prevent the fire. So schools and hospitals, nursing homes, places where people congregate (like) Churches, these places should have mechanisms or procedures in place to prevent fires, in the case of a fire to curtail (it),” he explained.
The panelists also made reference to the dysfunctional fire hydrants in the Capital city, referring to them as monuments. “We have fire hydrants as monuments in Guyana… They do nothing. They just stand there. You turn on the fire hydrant, there is no water coming out.”
Another element that may be contributing to the extent of damages caused by fires is the poorly situated Fire Service Headquarters in the Stabroek vicinity. But the Government just this week signed a $614M contract on Wednesday to construct a new Guyana Fire Service Headquarters along Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.
Meanwhile, Roopnarine also posited that ancient Government buildings may be compounding the dangers of the prevailing situation, due to faulty wiring, among others.
Countries around the world have been moving to introduce new technology to aid in fighting infernos.
The National Geographic website said that technology, such as drones are being used to release as much as 450 Ping-Pong-ball-sized incendiary devices in less than four minutes.
“Each of the one-inch spheres, called Dragon Eggs, contains potassium permanganate, and just before they are released they are given a pin injection of anti-freeze. The reaction between the two chemicals ignites the spheres after they hit the ground. The eggs can set fires ahead of an advancing wildfire in hard-to-reach places, denying it fuel,” the National Geographic said.
Another new innovation is the use of helicopters outfitted to release fire retardants.
“The Cal Fire Firehawk, a new helicopter, is faster, so pilots can fly firefighting teams more quickly to new fires. The Firehawk can also drop 1,000 gallons of water—three times as much as older helicopters—and then use its retractable snorkel to refill its tank from the nearest body of water,” the National Geographic explains.
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