When your neighbour’s house is on fire …

Tue, Sept 7, 2010

Last Friday’s fire at a clothing store in Bridgetown Barbados, which took the lives of six young women, including one Vincentian, has prompted calls in that country for stricter enforcement of building codes and enactment of fire safety regulations.{{more}}

The fire occurred in the downtown shopping area of Tudor Street, Bridgetown, but could have easily happened in any busy shopping area in the Caribbean.

The Barbadian media has reported that the store had only one exit, the front door. Fire fighters were faced with two options to try to get to the six women trapped inside: go through the wall of fire just inside the front door, or break through the thick concrete walls at the back of the building.

Long time residents of Tudor Street have said that all the buildings in that area used to have back doors. These doors have now been sealed, most likely for security reasons.

If we take a mental tour of many of the businesses operating in Kingstown, we would realize that most of them have only one way out. In other cases, the doors which provide alternative exits have been chained up to provide for more display space or to enhance security.

A new building code came into effect in 2007 and applies to all new and renovated buildings. The new building code no doubt includes requirements for fire escapes, etc., but what of the older buildings?

We in St. Vincent and the Grenadines should see what we can learn from the Barbados experience. Are we enforcing our building codes? What of fire safety regulations?

It is ironic though, that we as a people only see the value in regulations when human lives are lost or some other tragedy occurs. In today’s world, regulation is almost a dirty word, seen by many, to quote Julius Gittens, in a commentary in Barbados Today, as “the killjoy of economic growth and prosperity”. The result of this attitude to regulation is that we turn a blind eye to what is in the public’s interest and focus mainly on what allows us to make a dollar, enjoy ourselves or protect our assets.

With increasing threats to security over the years, many businesses have installed detectors and cameras, mainly with the purpose of detecting crime or keeping criminals out; little, if any emphasis, is placed on detecting threats to human life like fire.

The same situation exists in many of our homes where we have installed burglar bars and security systems to keep the criminals out, without considering we might also, in times of emergency, be locking ourselves in. Allowance should be made in all cases for an escape route.

We are now at the beginning of the new school year and at the height of the hurricane season. This is as good a time as any, for business places, public buildings, schools and homes to review and test their emergency plans, with special emphasis on fire drills and fire escapes.

We call on the relevant authority to step up inspection of businesses and public buildings to ensure that the building code is upheld. Let’s not wait for a situation such as what transpired in Barbados to spur us into action.