THE upgrading of the country’s existing fire stations and construction of additional ones are very important as the country’s housing sector and business spaces widen.

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Mr. Clinton Urling emphasised that to participants of a ‘Fire Safety Training for the Business Community’ seminar yesterday.
The programme was a collaborative effort of the GCCI and the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) at the Carifesta Sports Complex, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.
Urling spoke of the importance for the GFS to be supplied with the tools and resources vital for it to carry out its mandate.
He made a call, as well, for the policymakers to ensure that the supporting legislations are in place to, effectively, support the work of the GFS.
Urling stated that the government of the day needs to also look at the possibility and import of outsourcing the services of inspectors and said the focus group should be from the Private Sector.
He said contractors should be brought in and made to operate according to the standards that will be agreed upon by the Private Sector, the GFS and the Government.

FIRE HYDRANTS
Urling touched on the issue of fire hydrants around the city, housing schemes and business hot spots, stressing the necessity for them to be working and for additional ones to be installed.
He reminded that the hydrants do not work alone and, as such, the availability of water is also of concern.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle urged understanding that fire prevention and safety is not a task for just the GFS but each and every citizen.
He pointed out that all persons have the duty of ensuring that the measures to prevent fires are always in place.
Gentle explained that the pillars of fire prevention are: education, enforcement and engineering, in that order, making the point that, as compared to four or five years ago, there has been an increase of occurrences in dwellings and they occur at places where people either live or dwell very often.
He added that, while there has been a decrease in the number of destructive fires, most start in the homes.
Gentle said stealing of electricity and increase in appliances and unattended children are some of the causes which have contributed to more fires over the last five years. The latter is something that the GFS is very concerned about and will be moving to have systems put in place where adults are held accountable for those which are started by negligent parents leaving children unattended.
Speaking as a father and not just as the country’s Fire Chief, he said it hurts when firefighters have to go to burning buildings and recover the remains of children.
He made reference to the January 23 case in which a 23 days old baby girl perished in a blaze started by a six-year-old who lit a match.
Gentle said the increasing cases of fire which continue to claim the lives of children, as on January 23, come at a time when the GFS is in the process of undergoing an expansion and modernisation process. That procedure is likely to see it assuming the responsibility of rescuing persons not only at fire scenes but from other calamities.
He also expressed gratitude to the Government of Guyana for its support of the GFS by making sure it receives the necessary equipment and other resources that are required for firefighting and which sees it fulfilling its mandate.

OWN CHALLENGES
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said,that while the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Prison Service (GPS) and the GFS have their own challenges, not much is usually mentioned.
He acknowledged, though, that the training seminar comes at an opportune time and just on the heels of the Home Affairs Ministry and GFS retreat.
The minister said most of the issues raised at the seminar yesterday were also mentioned at the retreat and those are presently engaging attention.
Mr. Rohee assured that matters coming out of the retreat will find place in the security modernisation action plan which is presently being rolled out by the ministry.
He said many of them are currently being attended by the two bodies but, again, much is not reported.
It was against this backdrop that the minister announced that he has urged the GFS to up its game as it relates to public relations.
Commending the GCCI and GFS for the initiative, Rohee said it speaks of the good corporate responsibility of the former in finding such a seminar important.
He said it sends a message to the public that the Private Sector and flagship agencies can step up to the challenge and get the task done while urging others to follow suit.

THEIR ECONOMICS
Rohee told those taking part that any partnership between the Private and Public sector agencies helps to develop a nation while pointing to some of the biggest States and their economies.
The Minister said that many of them are where they are today because of the partnerships which they initiate.
“We have a lot to benefit from each other,” Rohee reiterated about the Government and Private Sector partnership.
He said continued and wide use of wood and matches because of the level of poverty and the theft of electricity, when combined, all result in fires.
Rohee laid emphasis on the theft of electricity which he said remains a very dangerous crime because of the danger it poses to life and limb.
He said those making the connections very often are not electricians and, as such, most of what they put together usually malfunctions and results in fire or some other calamity which costs someone his or her life.
There was also an appeal by the Minister for the GFS to pay very close attention to the night clubs and their safety arrangements and evacuation plans in the event of a blaze.
This urging was in the aftermath of the death of 235 persons killed in a Brazilian night club where a fire broke out.