–as seen in significant decline in regular fires, but arson’s a horse of a different colour

By Jared Liddell

PEOPLE are seemingly behaving more responsibly these days, if the 16 per cent reduction in fires due to carelessness is anything to go by.
But according to Fire Chief Marlon Gentle, the story is a bit different when it comes to privately-owned property, as they seem to be perennially dogged by fire, judging from the statistics as at August 9, 2020, which pegs those occurrences at a whopping 167 to date.

As the Fire Chief was able to confirm, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has received over 1266 fire calls to date, which represents a 32% decrease from the 1861 calls they took for the same period last year.

He also told the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday that statistics show a significant decrease in outdoor vegetation fires as well, from 1299 last year to 791 for the same period this year. In terms of fires involving vehicles, that figure is also down, to 40 from 55 the previous year, with 47 occurring at business places.

And with arson being yet another concern for the authorities, that has reportedly been on the increase, by some 50 per cent, from 66 last year to 99, the majority of which occurred in early March of this year.

Going into a bit more details, Gentle said people seem to be paying a bit more attention and taking special precaution these days, not just while cooking, but also when dealing with household appliances, and attending to small children. Unfortunately, the figures for 2019 tell a different story, for whereas back then the GFC responded to 33 fires that were electrical in origin, this year the number has risen by eight.
And where fires started by children are concerned, there’s a reason for that, and it all has to do with the outbreak of the coronavirus here. He said that with children being out of school because of COVID-19, they tend to be drawn to the forbidden, hence the increase by 55% of fires started by children playing with matches.

FLAME-INDUCING DEVICES
He used the opportunity to encourage parents in this stay-at-home COVID-19 period to teach their children about the dangers of playing with flame-inducing devices such as matches and lighters.

He explained that since it is uncertain when children will be able to return to school, and given that they will be at home for the better part of the day, parents need to take a more hands-on approach to their safety. “At this point, I understand that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children are at home, but I would advise parents that it is not the best idea to leave them unsupervised,” the Fire Chief said, adding: “Also, locking children in homes poses a great risk, in that in the case of an emergency, they would not be able to get out. Ensure that if you have grilles, that some areas are easily accessible and can be released.”
Touch on the sore issue of electricity theft, Gentle is calling on persons to refrain from doing so, as tampering with circuity in an effort to bypass the meter can cause fires, leaving persons with millions in losses.
He said that given that the country is still in COVID-19 mode, the GFS is even more vigilant than usual, but still finds the time to join the fight to slow the spread of the virus.

He said that for the safety of both the firefighters and those in need of assistance, the GFS ensures at all times they are equipped with their masks, gloves and other protective gear.
He added that at the fire stations, there are precautions for the fire officers and fire ranks, including hand washing, sanitation masks and glove distributions, as well as temperature managing of the ranks and anyone entering the fire service.
Gentle stated that since the GFS would not be able to make outreaches due to the COVID-19 restrictions, it is looking to have a bigger presence through the media to promote fire safety.

“Right now,” he said, “some of the radio stations and so on are running our cautionary public service announcements and so on, basically telling parents to ensure that while your children are at home, keep matches away from them, so that they do not have easy access to flame-making items and materials. We will be heightening that, since, given the current situation, we may not be able to go out and do outreaches; so we will be working with the media to strategically promote fire awareness.”
He also seized the opportunity to call on all citizens to follow the fire prevention guidelines, so as to ensure the safety of themselves, their loved ones as well as their properties, and to be conscious of electricity use. “Follow the guidelines for use of electrical appliances,” he advised. “Do not overload electrical circuits, and turn off and plug out appliances when not in use, especially when leaving your homes.” He also urged that when using alternative means of light, persons should try to do it in a safe manner, by avoiding the use of candles and other like objects, and that they should try to move to more battery-operated modes of lighting.