Linton P. Gordon
We have had the very unfortunate tragedies of children dying in their homes as a result of being trapped in a fire. Since this year, some fifty (50) children have lost their lives in fires in their homes. This is a most unfortunate situation and, regrettably, will continue unless steps are taken to deal with the factors that allow for these tragedies to occur. In several of the instances the children were not able to escape from the inferno their homes became because the doors and grills were locked and they could not unlock them in time to escape. These tragedies raise issues such as parental responsibility, the training of our children in basic safety procedures and the presence of dangerous items in the homes with children having easy access to these dangerous items. Parental responsibility entails parent training their children about the danger of using open flames in the homes. This involves bringing to the attention of children the reality that candles, kerosene lamps and other open flames are not to be used in close proximity to items such as curtains, bed linen and table cloths which can easily catch fire and lead to these tragedies. Of course we need to admit that the use of candle and other open flames for light in homes is a clear sign of poverty, as many of these persons who use this means of providing light, do so because they cannot afford the Jamaica Public Service bill. There is also a challenge faced by persons who run to the assistance of those trapped in flaming houses. This challenge is lack of water. The very severe drought the island is now facing has resulted in a shortage of water in just about every community. The result of this is that even when members of the Fire Brigade turn up to put out a fire they are not always able to do so due to lack of water.But it is not only how to handle open flames that parents should teach their children about. They should also teach them how to get out of the house in case of an emergency. Under no condition should parents lock their children in the house and leave them locked in. No factors and no circumstances can justify this. Parents should designate one location in the house away from window where keys are kept. They should train their children, from an early age, how to fetch the keys from this location, how to unlock the doors and grill and to return the keys to the designated location. This should be drilled into children. Where parents have to leave their homes to go to any distance, they should first satisfy themselves that at least one of the children is mature enough to be responsible for the others. They should also ensure that the child is mature enough to locate the keys in case of any emergency and to unlock all doors to the building. The extreme cases where parents leave their children to attend functions — be they religious services or dance sessions — are inexcusable and are a violation of the laws which impose on parents a duty to be responsible for their children. All parents are encouraged to commit themselves to a way of conduct that will ensure no more children die as a result of being entrapped in fire in their homes. Community leaders and Parent Teachers Associations should pursue a course of instructing and training parents about their responsibilities to their children and about the steps that can be taken to make the home a safer place for children.
July 21, 2014
