Advice From Fire Chief

Homeowners are being urged to pay closer attention to electrical installations which, if not carried out correctly, could lead to their homes going up in smoke.

Word of this from Chief Fire Officer Wilfred Marshall as he reviewed some of the trends that were seen in 2011 and the fire prevention programmes which will continue into the New Year.

Marshall lamented that fires which are started by electricity are being seen from time to time by the Barbados Fire Service.

“Over the Christmas season, I was concerned about the number of fires...there were about three or four fires that I am aware of that involved Christmas lights. That was beginning to bother me, but the season has passed and most of the lights should be down now but I would still like persons to pay attention to electrical installation and appliances.”

Noting that there has been a marked decrease in the number of recorded fires last year over the previous year, he expressed hope that the Barbadian public will continue to pay attention to the fire safety messages.

One of the areas which the Fire Chief said they will be focused on during the coming year is working closely with residents of the high rise housing solutions introduced to Barbados.

“As Government moves to high rise housing accommodation, we are trying to ensure that we stick closely to the high rises and we are in the process of developing programmes to treat directly to high rise apartments to ensure that the residents are aware of the practices required.”

He explained that this will include fire prevention measures, pointing out that the buildings have been designed with fire protection – including firewalls – in order to restrict the fire to one unit during a fire event.

The Fire Chief opined that there is still a need to outfit all homes in Barbados with fire extinguishers.

“I would like all homes to have extinguishers, and that is why we partnered with Rotary West last year in a programme in the New Orleans where we gave our fire extinguishers to persons whom we believe might find it difficult to purchase, [thereby] providing some level of fire protection.”

“We donated water hoses and fire extinguishers, taught residents how to use the fire extinguishers. Those are all programmes that we hope to continue this year.”

He added that the Barbados Fire Service will be reinforcing what was done in 2011, continuing with its prevention programme through its Fire Prevention Unit.

There was an almost 50 per cent reduction in fires in 2011 over 2010. Total figures showed a drop from 2 610 in 2010 to 1 336 in 2011. (JH) 


Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com