THE EDITOR, Sir: Monday night’s television news carried yet another report of a building destroyed by fire. I just completed the first sentence of this letter when I realised that this is the exact wording of the last of three letters on this subject written to The Gleaner eight months ago.
But I just finished this paragraph when the midday news carried another story of yet another fire. Both were in the Corporate Area and several families lost all they had. That is usually the case.
I think this is a potentially serious problem that is not being addressed satisfactorily. The present system has clearly not served us well. I can think of two events – national tragedies – the Eventide Home fire when I personally counted 144 of the 153 incinerated bodies of elderly
and infirm persons. Then there was the Orange Lane tragedy. In the first case, the home was seconds away from the headquarters of the Fire Brigade. And Orange Lane is separated from that same facility by a fence.
The fire today is a stone’s throw from the headquarters too. As is the case for the last six fires in Kingston.
NOT WORKING
Something is not working for us. It makes no sense going to developed countries in search of solutions. Our situation is vastly different from theirs. Many of the communities are informal dwellings made of wood along narrow streets. Contraptions put in place to keep out intruders like police, utility companies and rival gangs are also impediments to firefighters.
One solution is to set up properly designed communities. But this is not likely as it would frustrate the garrison demographics which are important to maintain the voting arrangements.
Persons who do not visit these areas cannot imagine the conditions that exist and how conducive they are to fires: cooking arrangements on defective stoves and leaking cylinders, bottle lamps and illegal electrical connections everywhere. Unsupervised children.
It seems to me that these big, clumsy fire engines are not the answer. What about portable units installed in communities that would enable trained residents to attack the fire when it starts?
We are playing with fire!
Glenn Tucker