A volunteer firefighting group may be difficult to manage – Godfred Pompey

A fire department assisted by trained civilians may sound like a good idea, but may not be feasible here.{{more}}

So believes Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Godfred Pompey, who, speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on Monday, April 23, said that a volunteer group may be difficult to manage, since a number of factors need to be put in place.

“To have an arrangement like that will take time and resources,” Pompey stated.

“It all depends on where the fire is located and where the civilians would be located.”

The suggestion was raised by a number of persons who were displeased with the way a fire, which took place last Saturday afternoon, was handled by the various branches of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.

It was felt that the fire, which took place at the Eustace Auto Supplies compound on Lower Bay Street, would have been better controlled if more civilians had been involved, or if there had been a trained group assisting the firemen.

Although the majority of persons were happy that the fire was contained within the compound, and that major damage had been averted, many believed that more could have been saved, if the fire had been put out sooner.

Pompey pointed out that there were civilians who were helping the firefighters and this assistance was appreciated.

He also said that, given the nature of the fire, it was a particularly difficult one to control, which explains why the firefighters operated the way they did.

“We would like to thank the civilians for the assistance, but there are some uncooperative ones who hinder the process…. The public has to appreciate that the firemen are the ones trained, and that not everyone can assist the firemen, it has to be a select few and we appreciate those who were cooperative.

“One has to appreciate the nature of the fire. Where tires are concerned, regardless to the best effort, you just have to let the tires burn…. The only challenge was the number of tires that were fuelling the fire, which created a great difficulty for the firemen. Once you have tires burning, it’s hardly anything you can do; that’s why we had to protect the other buildings.”

Pompey hinted that the strategy used by the firemen saved the other buildings that were in close proximity, including the historic Kingstown Anglican School, from further damage.

The Permanent Secretary confirmed that the E.T. Joshua Airport was temporarily closed for about one hour, to facilitate the use of the fire truck normally based at the E.T. Joshua airport.

The many criticisms of the constabulary were only some of the side shows which occupied the attention of the hundreds of onlookers who turned up at the scene of the fire.

Apart from what was perceived as incompetence by the firefighters, spectators were entertained by the unruly behaviour of some spectators, which resulted in minor skirmishes with law enforcers, and even saw the detention of a number of persons, including two women.

Fire investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.(JJ)