Fire Service: ‘Safer’ year so far

House fires were down by one-fifth so far, year on year, amid an overall drop in other major incidents, the Fire Service has reported

There have been 58 house fires when compared to 72 recorded in 2018, it said.

There have been half as many commercial building fires, with only 13 incidents, compared to 26 a year earlier.

The Fire Service also reported an 11 per cent drop in grass fires. There were 959 grass fires compared to 1074 last year while there was a minimal six percent decline in rubbish fires, 415 were recorded this year compared to 440 in 2018.

While praising his hardworking officers in the service’s annual Christmas message, acting Chief Fire Officer Henderson Patrick said firefighters could not take all the credit for the improvements, praising residents for “actively participating in this reduction of incidents. “

But false alarms went up – a 53 per cent increase – with a total of 115 “activated fire alarms” compared to 75 in  2018. He suggested this was mostly the result of a lack of maintenance and alarm defects.

Yet, the fire officer said the improvements were not enough for people to get comfortable and rest on their laurels.

Urging the public to do even better in the coming years, Patrick proposed a “firewall” of protection and safety to safeguard investments, lives, families and properties.

He said: “It is the mission of the Barbados Fire Service in the third decade of the 21st century and beyond, but starting now, to work with its stakeholders to collaboratively build a ‘firewall’ architecture that will develop a safety consciousness and culture amongst all the citizens and sectors in this country.

“The intent is to focus on more than just structural integrity but to promote recognition and build a firewall of safety, defence and resilience against the common threats to life and personal loss.”

The Christmas season was an appropriate time to begin this process of building, Chief Patrick said, as he urged citizens to carefully check the hazards they may be exposed to.

He said: “These may include fire resulting from naked flames in the kitchen, lighted candles for therapeutic or ambience enrichment purposes or from electrical mishaps through circuit overloads or accidents from defective appliances.

“You cannot ignore the barbecues, the grilling, the bon-fires, the lighted Christmas trees or the indiscriminate burning of household refuse as part of your waste management strategy.

“While most of these activities may be legitimate and have the potential for fostering good social relations, they can also cause social dislocation, affect the health and welfare of others, create a nuisance for neighbours and retard the progress made in alleviating poverty.” (SD)