Fire service’s new 45-metre aerial ladder to boost high-rise fire response

A $2.2m aerial ladder capable of reaching the country’s tallest building has been commissioned by the Barbados Fire Service, restoring a critical high-rise firefighting capability after years without a functioning unit.

During a commissioning ceremony on Tuesday at the Barbados Fire Service headquarters in the Pine, Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard described the new 45-metre ladder  as a major step forward for the service and the country’s emergency response capabilities.

“It is really a pleasure to commission this state-of-the-art piece of equipment that we have acquired to protect the lives and property of the people of Barbados,” Chief Maynard said.

The Fire Service had been without a functioning aerial ladder appliance for some time after its previous unit went out of commission following more than 20 years of service, he said. 

“We normally should have two, but that one went out of commission after 20-plus years. Now we have this one here and it is the tallest ladder we have had in Barbados in all of history.”

Maynard noted that the ladder can reach above the height of the Central Bank of Barbados — at 50 metres (164 feet) the island’s tallest building for the last 49 years — allowing firefighters to conduct firefighting and rescue operations at any high-rise structure on the island.

“As a country we have been building higher and higher and with that comes certain challenges, certain threats, certain hazards, and we are always in our efforts trying to be ahead of the game,” he added. “We will prepare for anything that may come long before it happens.”

Minister of Home Affairs Gregory Nicholls said:

“This is $2.2 million in equipment, another commitment of the Government to ensure that the Barbados Fire Service has the requisite equipment for it to continue the work that you’ve been doing.”

While the new equipment would enhance emergency response, public education also remained critical in reducing the impact of fires across communities, he added. 

“We have to work with the community here in Barbados to ensure that Barbadians are aware of what they can themselves do to mitigate against the harmful effects of raging fires,” he said, adding that the Government Information Service would support public awareness efforts.

Richard Blythe, representative of the ladder’s British manufacturer, Angloco Ltd, outlined several advanced features of the aerial ladder appliance.

It includes automated functions that allow the ladder to return to its resting position and level itself at the push of a button, he said. 

The appliance is also equipped with a monitor capable of delivering 3 800 litres of water per minute, as well as remote-control functionality that allows firefighters to operate the system from the ground during prolonged firefighting operations.

“We don’t have to have crews in the machine, we can do it all from the ground,” Blythe said.

 

(SB)