Manchester Fire Dept operating with one unit
Published:Wednesday | February 29, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Dave Lindo, Gleaner Writer
MANDEVILLE, Manchester:
THE MANCHESTER Fire Department, after coming under flak for not responding promptly to recent fires in the parish, has said it has been facing serious challenges as it has been operating with only one unit in the parish.
Head of the Manchester Fire Department, acting Deputy Superintendent Emrick Needham, said that the Mandeville unit has been down for the last three weeks and is being repaired in Kingston.
As a result, the department had relocated the Christiana unit to the Mandeville station, which was the only operating unit in the parish. This fire unit (Christiana) has been out of service from Sunday due to mechanical problems, and has been replaced by a fire unit from Kingston.
Residents disgruntled
Residents of Manchester have been disgruntled following a fire in Cobbla on Monday, February 20, which destroyed a two-storey house, killing a 72-year-old man, Alvin Fairman; and a fire at Mount St Joseph Preparatory School last Saturday, which destroyed a computer lab, the library, the teachers' quarters and two kindergarten sections.
Needham explained, "The situation at the fire in Cobbla was that the unit was all the way in Asia in South Manchester at the time. We called for backup from the unit in Clarendon, and both units reached at the same time."
He added, "With the fire at Mount St Joseph, people were saying that the unit came all the way from Christiana because the unit is originally from there, but it (fire unit) was coming from the Mandeville station."
Classes at Mount St Joseph have been suspended for this week, except for grade six students.
The low water capacity of the Christiana unit is cited as another challenge for the fire department. Needham disclosed, "The unit holds between 600 to 800 gallons, which is a very small amount of water that runs out in no time. That poses a serious problem, because at times water supply is not near."
Needham said the report on the Christiana unit is that it has been losing engine power, which makes it unable to respond to fires, especially in hilly areas. "We are taking steps to get the Christiana unit sorted out," Needham said.
"We should be getting back the Mandeville unit later this week. A section of the frame of the unit was broken, and as a result it had to be pulled down, including the gas tank, for it to be welded."