…points out errant, says fire was waiting to happen

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly fire at the Drop-in-Centre on Hadfield Street on July 8 last has recommended major overhaul of the child protection unit, including recruitment of adequately qualified staff to meet the demands of child care responsibilities.

The inquiry, undertaken by lone commissioner retired Colonel Windee Algernon, having examined events which resulted in the deaths of brothers Antonio and Joshua George, pointed to the cause of the fire being the result of a defective electrical point fitted with exposed wires on the eastern wall of the girls’ dormitory at the centre.

Recommendations were made by the Guyana Fire Service in 2010 and last year in the interest of improving “life and fire safety”, but those were not followed, the report said.

The Algernon Report said the system to protect the two children had failed, and effectively blamed all parties involved. “The system to protect the children failed, and therefore all the players are collectively responsible”, the report stated.

It noted that the tragedy was waiting to happen, and pointed to several names at the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) being culpable, including the Manager for all Care Centres; the Deputy Director of Policy and Development, who has overall responsibility for administration of the three child care facilities; and the House Services Supervisor of the Drop-in Centre, who has general administrative control of the facility.

The supervisor on duty on the night of the fire was not entirely blamed, but because the children died in her care, she could not be absolved from blame.

The Algernon Report also recommended that the Ministry of Social Protection focus on cutting red tape and improving the skills and knowledge of social workers, so that they could adequately protect children who are in the State’s care.

The report called on the ministry to arrange and conduct inspections of similar facilities nationwide, and to develop emergency evacuation plans to be implemented at all child care facilities.

“These plans must include safety protocols”, the report said. As regards personnel, the report said in-house training, including rehearsal, should be conducted for staff in crisis management at all child care facilities.

The report also recommended that child care workers be given additional time away from the working environment to relax after a period of work or tension.

Among its findings, the CoI said that on July 7, five children were admitted to the facility. At the time of the fire, there were two children under five years; nine children between the ages of five and twelve years old; and the largest group being twenty children who ranged between the ages of thirteen and seventeen years. Using the children/staff ratio, a minimum of six staffers should have been on duty to adequately meet the needs of the children. However, on the fateful night, only two supervisors were on duty. In addition, the House Services supervisor, who had the authority to call out additional staff, failed to do so for no valid reason.

The report also said the staff on duty failed to follow written guidelines for management of crisis situations, resulting in confusion and panic which led to the tragic deaths of the two children.

The CoI noted that the centre was not in full compliance with the fire regulations, as there were no operational fire escapes, smoke alarms or marked fire exits; and neither were there any signs on the wall providing guidance in the case of a fire. However, there were fire extinguishers and blankets on both floors of the facility, but neither the children nor staff members were trained to use them.

The role of non-governmental organisations(NGOs) was also recognised in the report. It said that the CCPA continues to recognize the collaborative role of NGOs in strengthening the child protection system. They include Child Link, Blossom Inc and Red Thread, “who provide invaluable services to the children at the Drop-in Centre”.

However, it was noted that Red Thread has “seemingly discontinued” working with the CCPA, while the others have scaled down their association with the child care body.

Soon after the July 8 tragedy, President David Granger ordered a Commission of Inquiry into the incident which claimed the lives of six-year-old Antonio and two-year-old Joshua George, after they became trapped in a section of the building. The President said at the time that he was prepared to take strong disciplinary action should the inquiry into the deaths at the facility point to gross negligence.