Barbados Fire Service fully mobilised for Grand Kadooment on Monday, Fire Chief

Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard says the Barbados Fire Service is all ready for Grand Kadooment on Monday, even as he noted that his officers have been this stretched this Crop Over while trying to maintain a high level of safety and battling the spike in fires.

Speaking to the media on Friday, he assured personnel would be fully mobilized for tomorrow’s climax when 12, 000 registered masqueraders are expected to hit the road.

“We are definitely ready, our vehicles have been checked and we will have officers deployed out there while others will be standing by at the various fire stations.”

He noted that officers have already been busy monitoring activities or conducting inspections at various sites to ensure safety.

“Our officers have been stretched doing so, but it has been going quite good so far in spite of the fact that it kept us really busy.”

Maynard expressed his satisfaction with the integrity of stages, citing the setup at the National Botanical Gardens which has been the site of major events, including the recent Courtesy Garage Pic-O-De-Crop Finals.

The Fire Service is also keeping a close on vending activity. He noted that while vendors have been generally cooperative with the service, they must continue to exercise caution.

Bridgetown Market 2023

“Those vendors who are using open flames, and then because of the amount of electricity and power that is used at these events, the possibility of some person getting shocked or electrocuted, that is also a concern.

“So officers would go in and make sure that these things are properly done. If it’s electrical wires that are covered with the installation, make sure that it is properly done so that no one can get close to them or in the vicinity if there are any shortages.”

The Chief Fire Officer reiterated his concern about the spike in fires recorded so far this year compared to 2022.

“We are well over the amount of fires that we had for the entire year last year. We are at approximately 1200 fires thus far, we only had 900 and something for the entire year last year. We would appreciate that most of that came during the drier season before the rain came in, and the temperatures outside as you can feel are much hotter.

“Therefore, the possibility of having fires is much greater, but we are still coping,” he said.