Fire brigade commissioner defends firefighters amid criticisms over major Kingston blaze

Poor access to fire hydrants, prank calls, and persons unfamiliar with emergency numbers stymied a more efficient effort from the Jamaica Fire Brigade to Monday’s major fire in downtown Kingston, Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Stewart Beckford, said Tuesday.

Responding to criticisms levelled by members of the public regarding an alleged slow response to the fire, Beckford defended his officers and their actions.

The early morning fire ravaged premises at the intersection of Charles Street and Luke Lane and left some 16 people, including four children, homeless.

Four units from the Rollington Town, Trench Town, and York Park fire stations responded to the blaze, which is still under investigation

It is believed, however, that the fire may have been started by a child.

Yesterday, some residents voiced frustration, claiming that the fire brigade took too long to turn up, and that units arrived without adequate water to fight the disaster.

Millions of dollars worth of furniture and appliances were reportedly destroyed in the blaze.

"Mu blame di fire brigade. People all ride go up deh, drive go up deh... and a dis. Mi nah lie, mi feel upset bout dem," one resident told The Gleaner.

But Tuesday morning, Beckford poured cold water on those allegations, noting that no resident called the station and that the firemen were only alerted by a police patrol unit roughly 15 minutes after the fire began.

He said firemen from Trench Town responded immediately, but faced setbacks due to poor maintenance and treatment of fire hydrants in the community.

"The first pumper that turned up on the scene has a capacity of 3,800 litres of water and 200 litres of foam... this 4,000 litres of water, pumping at high pressure, can be pumped out in five minutes, and that is why we rely so heavily on hydrants," he explained.

And that is where the problem existed, he said.

"Too often we turn up at scenes and the hydrants are vandalised. Sometimes we are unable to gain access to them because persons are doing construction, and they dump the construction material on the hydrants, sometimes they pave over the valve that we need to access to turn the hydrants on," he charged.

Still, water wasn’t the biggest issue, he said, noting that in the midst of yesterday's mayhem, one fire truck was delayed after responding to a prank call about a fire at the Bellevue Hospital, also in the Kingston.

"Once it was found that those reports were false, they were redirected to Charles Street where they immediately responded to lend support," he said, chiding residents for recording the incident on their cell phones instead of calling for help.

"I want to use this opportunity to encourage Jamaicans, wherever you live, to know the number to your nearest fire station," he affirmed.

- Corey Robinson

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