Dear Editor,
THERE is a sad lesson to be learnt regarding two children who were burnt to death last Thursday night in a fire that gutted the Children’s Drop-in Centre on Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
It is a lesson that I hope the Georgetown City Council would take seriously.The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) has several day care centres, maternal & child welfare clinics, and other public health facilities housed in very old buildings and other structures that are in such bad condition that they place the children and other occupants in considerable danger; but the officials just don’t seem to care.

Indeed, City Hall itself — which they consider their headquarters, and in which they sit, occupy and pontificate for hours — breaks all the provisions of the Fire Code.

I have cause to take my wife routinely to the maternal & child welfare clinic and to drop my daughter to a day care centre, and I am always concerned about the unpreparedness of these municipal facilities for fires and other disasters.

Indeed, it is clear that: (1) The maximum occupancy of these buildings is routinely exceeded, as there is often overcrowding of children at the day care centres and of mothers and their babies seeking pre- and post-natal care.

(2): There is no maintenance of proper fire exits and proper exit signage (e.g., exit signs pointing to those that can function in a power failure)

(3): The old buildings are hardly in compliance with electrical codes to prevent overheating and ignition from electrical faults or problems, such as poor wire insulation; or overloading wiring, conductors, or other fixtures with more electric current than they are rated for.

(4): There is not proper placement and maintenance of the correct type of fire extinguishers in easily accessible places.

(5): There are no visible fire alarm systems for detection and warning of fires, nor are there any sprinklers in these buildings.

(6): I am told that there is a low level of training and awareness of occupants and users of the buildings to avoid obvious mistakes.

(7): Rarely are fire drills conducted at municipal buildings and facilities throughout the year.

City Hall needs to realize that it has responsibility for the lives and wellbeing of hundreds of children, their parents, and the municipal workers occupying these dilapidated buildings; and, as such, they need to fix them and enhance their safety.

What is worse is that they are now talking about having night care in these very unsafe buildings, for which the danger would be significantly increased due to the cover of darkness.

Sincerely,

RILEY MATTHEWS