President Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday afternoon, visited the fire ravaged St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and said his administration is prepared to support the health care institution in both the short term and over the long term. He said, “The good thing about this is that they (those responding to the fire) were able to evacuate everyone so there was no loss of life.”
The Head of State, upon arrival, was briefed by the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Ms. Helen Browman, and the Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Marlon Gentle.
“We got the call at 06:59 hours…Three units were alerted, two from the central fire station and one from Alberttown,” he said.
Gentle added that additional support was mobilized since, according to him, extra resources were needed to contain the blaze.
He made it clear that while much water was needed to contain the fire, the available supply was adequate.
“Our tactics this morning was basically containment to ensure the evacuation of the patients,” he said.
The Chief Fire Officer noted that a total of 11 staff members were interviewed and investigations into the fire continue.