Fires a ‘rare’ occurrence on Wakenaam, Leguan
–but Fire Chief not taking any chances; plans to take pre-emptive measures

FIRES are arguably one of the most devastating events known to mankind, and while over 167 persons have had to deal with such an occurrence countrywide in 2020, the Guyana Chronicle has learnt that the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam have long been miraculously spared the pain of having to cope with such a tragedy.
With both islands being located on the mighty Essequibo River, they are considered to be a part of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), where, according to Chairman of the district’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Ishan Ayube, given the low number of fires that have occurred there over the years, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) had not seen the wisdom, hitherto, in establishing fire stations there.

He told the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, when the subject was raised with him, that it has been at least 10 or more years since the two islands have had any major incidents of fire to speak of.
“I can’t recall for the longest while there being any fire in Leguan,” he said, adding: “For the past 10 to 15 years, maybe even longer, there haven’t been any houses burning down. And Wakenaam is the same thing, too; I can’t recall anything about that.”
He said that based on statistics at hand of fire-related disasters on the islands, the fire service’s decision not to have any stations set up on either of them is quite understandable.
And he gave as the reason, the islands have not had any major disasters over the years due to the diligence of the residents, in that being ever mindful of the unavailability of fire-fighting resources at their hand reach, they work at ensuring that they take the necessary preventative measures.

As Chairman Ayube, adroitly put it: “Maybe it has to do with caution, because parents are making sure that from a small age, their children are aware of the dangers of fire, and what can happen. And also, caution plays a major part; people are alert to ensure that even if they are using kerosene lamps or whatever, which is a rare case now, they are utilised safely. Additionally, they make sure that any electrical appliances that are used are plugged out and turned off.”
A resident of Leguan himself, Ayube said that his fellow residents have also managed to figure out ways of minimising the opportunity for outdoor vegetation fires to occur, by monitoring them until they burn themselves out, so as to prevent them from spreading excessively, and causing an uncontrollable accident.

NOT AS DENSELY POPULATED
He also noted that unlike other coastland areas, the two islands are not as densely populated, and for want of a better term, what he calls “building clustering” is almost unheard of, which means that in the event of a fire, residents are able to quickly extinguishing it themselves.
He also made a rather interesting observation, which is that because of the relatively small size of the islands, arson is unlikely to occur.

SUPPORT STAFF
Meanwhile, Fire Chief, Kalamadeen Edoo, has said that the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is currently considering deploying support staff to both Leguan and Wakenaam, and that while the establishment of a fire station is not currently on the cards for either of them, it is being considered for the future. He noted too that although Leguan and Wakenaam do not record a high number of fires as other parts of the country, the fire service is aware of the security risk of not having fire-fighting resources in those areas.
He stated that the fire service is committed to improving its performance, and providing quality service to the nation.
Currently, the GFS has 18 stations across the country’s 10 administrative regions, with 38 serviceable fire tenders in its fleet of vehicles, along with one fire boat.

Nineteen of the tenders are being utilised in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), which includes both the East Coast and East Bank Demerara; while four are being used in Region Three; five in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); three in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); and two in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).
Further, three new fire stations are expected to come on stream by the end of December this year, in Mahdia, seat of administration for Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni); at Lethem, in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo); and at Mabaruma, in Region One (Barima-Waini), where there are currently auxiliary units in operation.