Car used to ‘pitch in’ for truck
Kasey Williams
The Portland fire brigade has been under severe pressure for months as the brigade struggles to respond to fires with only one fire unit serving the entire parish. This has hampered the effectiveness and response of the brigade.
Last week the Portland fire brigade faced a severe struggle of responding to fires. This, as on Tuesday night a section of the Woodstock housing scheme in Buff Bay was under threat due to a massive bush fire. The Buff Bay fire station has been without a unit for months and fire fighters had to use a car to get to the location and carry some equipment. The car arrived on the scene with two fire fighters who residents say tried their best to put out the fire.
The fire fighters who were already without a unit faced further challenges as a nearby hydrant was not working. The Port Antonio fire department later responded to the fire. The fire fighters also suffered delays as the unit from the Port Antonio station had punctured tyres. A unit from the Port Maria fire station had to respond to that blaze as fire fighters were busy on the scene putting out the bush fire up to midday Wednesday.
While the Port Antonio fire unit was in Buff Bay being repaired, Wednesday night the Search-Me-Heart guest house located in Drapers, east of Port Antonio was on fire. These repairs hampered the unit from reaching the scene in quick time. The fire blazed into early Thursday morning as the unit later arrived on the scene to out the fire. Four Italian tourists were at the guest house and were not injured. The entire guest house building was burnt out leaving the building structure and a section of the roof.
The North Coast Times visited the Port Antonio fire station on Thursday to speak with Deputy Superintendent Louiston Gooden as he spoke of the various challenges facing the Portland fire brigade. He said that there has been an increase in the number of fire calls the brigade has received as in July the brigade has received over 130 calls. He says that on average the brigade would have 20 – 25 calls per month. Speaking on the problem of only one fire truck, Superintendent Gooden said: “There isn’t any unit at the Buff Bay station for some time. In fact, it was taken out of commission on the 21st of May because of mechanical problems. To date we have not received another unit.” He said having only one unit in Portland was difficult for the fire fighters and the unit that makes it more prone to mechanical problems.
