Combatting the fire bugs

St Vincent and the Grenadines has traditionally registered notable increases in bush fires during the months considered the Dry Season, between the months of December to June.

This period has held true to form in terms of hillside fires in areas where neighbouring residents have become resigned to it, even seeing the occurrence as ‘normal’. But one must question whether the ‘normalcy’ of such fires is because of nature or nurture. We hear members of the police warning the public about being careful when lighting fires. So you know it’s not a question of nature’s way of replenishing itself.

Thus far we have seen notably sized outbreaks in Ottley Hall and in the hillsides above Lowman’s Leeward and Questelles.

But this is quite different from the recent reports of fires which have destroyed residential buildings, because of the cost to homeowners. And each time we register such a tragedy, we hear repeated calls and charges levelled about the efficiency of our firefighting capabilities as a nation.

Recent fires call several issues into question. Among them is the perennial question of hydrants, their placement if any, and whether there is a regular me for maintenance and emergency drills. This used to be a feature which children enjoyed as a spectacle in the past. While fire hydrants exist, there are always calls for improved planning, with perhaps a dedicated, separate fire department which would coordinate their placement with the CWSA.

We are not here to criticize and say we told you so just because of the most recent major loss of the Calliaqua Police Station. In that particular instance, most persons would commend the firefighters given the time they finally arrived on preventing the fire to spread to nearby buildings. These included, importantly, the bakery just next door which had a veritable bomb in the gas tank just outside. That there was no major explosion must also have been a great streak of providence.

The last embers from Friday’s conflagration may still have been smouldering when the fire department was pressed into action again yesterday, March 16.

The public’s expectations of fire tenders being placed in all towns is a great aspiration that may not easily be met financially. But our geography and topography would, of necessity, require careful placement of fire tenders to facilitate rapid response to all fires- bush, residential or business. There is also the question of the proximity of some residences to narrow roads that impede the passage of fire hydrants responding to fires.

We are sure, however, that training and other areas of support can be sought from our friends, including within CARICOM, and that working together, we can combat the fire bugs whenever they show their destructive faces.