RESIDENTS of the Wismar communities of Linden are calling on the relevant authorities to establish a fire outpost on the Wismar shore.
This, they say, will augment the resources available at the Mackenzie Fire Station, in the event of a fire.

The petition has been reinforced by an upsurge in fires, in April. For the year already, Fire Chief of Linden, Kirkland Harry, has related that 40 fires were reported from Wismar alone, out of a total of 111 fires reported in Linden.

Many of these occurred during the recently concluded dry season. In many instances, these fires were not attended to in a timely manner and residents had to seek alternative ways to put them out. One concerned resident, Michael Hercules, said that something needs to be done before the next dry season commences, or before any unforeseen fiery situation occurs. He related that the fires were not dealt with in a timely manner, given the distance the trucks have to travel from Mackenzie.

Another major concern is the situation regarding the Mackenzie/Wismar bridge. The bridge is closed at least once a week for maintenance and repairs and Harry related that there is no system in place to allow for a fire truck to utilise the bridge during this time. There are no other alternative routes to Wismar, other than across the bridge. “So it is something that we welcome, even if it is a fire truck to be housed at the Wismar Police Station or the Wismar Hospital….somewhere central….it is something that is needed, because a lot of people suffered last month, due to fires.”

Currently, the residents of Wisroc are experiencing severe erosion issues that resulted from them breaking a main pipeline to out a very threatening bush fire. Since this publication reported on the issue last Thursday, the situation has got worst and the breakage has now crept to the only access road. Engineers from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure ( MoPI), have since visited the site and are expected to commence corrective works.

Regarding the fire situation, Mayor of Linden, Waneka Arrindell, met with representatives from the Linden Fire Station and the Guyana Water Authority and reiterated that another major solution to the matter is access to water. She is therefore looking to collaborate with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to have fire hydrants placed at key locations around the township. Arrindell also said that there is need for sensitisation, to inform residents about the dangers of setting and “outing” fires irresponsibly.