Sun | Oct 5, 2025

Letter of the Day | Fire safety practices and procedures being overlooked

Published:Saturday | February 26, 2022 | 12:06 AM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

On Wednesday, February 23, the front page of The Gleaner published the devastating image of a cloud of flames engulfing the Ray Ray Market in downtown Kingston. Having dedicated 50 years of my life to fire safety, prevention and protection, this image proved particularly disturbing and caused me to reflect on the fact that hardly a year goes by without one of our markets being razed by fire. Why is this, why are our markets being destroyed by fire with such frequency?

The conflagration that occurred at the Ray Ray Market will result in countless numbers of individuals losing their livelihoods, more than likely with no means whatsoever of any possible recourse to the owners/operators of the facility. Their places of business are no longer, and neither are their goods in trade. They now find themselves, overnight, cast into the lot of the unemployed and disparaged.

On previous such occasions, there have followed announcements that the market would, in due course, be reconstructed, if and when the required finances became available. Accordingly, some of these markets are indeed eventually replaced. However, the replacement structures almost always seem to bear a striking resemblance to those which had previously been razed by fire!

This, to my mind, clearly illustrates that doing the same thing over and over is going to have the same result. As a youngster, I recall there was a character who used to roam the streets of the Corporate Area known to all as ‘Bun Down Cross Roads’. It was rumoured that he had attempted to incinerate Cross Roads but, thankfully, his attempts at arson had failed. The real tragedy is the repeated successes of ‘Bun Down Markets’.

This need not be the case. Basic fire prevention planning, practices and procedures are available when constructing our markets. The professional services of the Fire Prevention Department at the Jamaica Fire Brigade may be sought by those undertaking the redevelopment of these sites. Similarly, those responsible for the day-to-day operations of these facilities should be educated on and charged with the oversight and enforcement of those fire protection practices which could become life and livelihood saving tactics and techniques.

There is no excuse for this continued loss of our markets to fire and the resultant inconvenience and devastating cost to all concerned. We have only to turn to the resources that are already available and at our disposal. How many more fires will it take before we learn that continuing down the path most frequently travelled will only lead us to the exact same result? More fire, destruction and devastation.

JULIAN TEMPLER

Executive Chairman

National Safety Limited