Fire Officers are being stretched to the limit by responding to an average of nine fires a day.
Chief Fire Officer Chesterfield Mayers, addressing a junior fire cadet programme at Probyn Street headquarters yesterday, said so far for the year there were 65 house fires, as compared to 59 for the corresponding period last year.
Mayers expressed major concern about the number of structural fires.
"We need to get the number of structural fires down; the number is too high," he added.
He said that in the first eight months of this year, fire officials battled 2 000 fires of all categories, compared to 1 400 for the same time last year.
The situation was further compounded, he said, by too few fire prevention officers to sensitise the public on fire safety.
He said there were only 11 to conduct fire prevention programmes to a population of 270 000.
Mayers said the programme involved inspections of schools, hotels, day nurseries, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Geriatric Hospital, restaurants and Government buildings throughout the year.
He said based on this tight schedule, fire officers had little time to go out into communities to sensitise the public about fire prevention.
"Fire officers still have to go out to fires, they have station duties to perform, reports to write and all of this also forms an important element of a fire officer's duties."
Mayers said it would take 300 fire officers to adequately service the needs of the island, instead of the present 214.
However, from next week, 15 recruits would begin a 16-week training course at the Arch Hall station in St Thomas.
The fire chief said he was considering a programme where residents of various communities would be trained in basic fire fighting techniques. |