-Officer in Charge tells inquiry commissioners
The Mahdia Fire Station in Region Eight has received new fire prevention equipment to boost its capacity, Officer in Charge Ryan Scott told commissioners inquiring into the blaze in May that claimed 20 lives.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) said that Scott was accompanying a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) team that was inspecting several facilities in the region. The team included Chairman Major General (ret’d) Joe Singh, attorney-at-law Kim Kyte-Thomas, Chairman of the National Toshaos Council Derrick John, Secretary of the Commission Javed Shadick, and Attorney-at-Law Keoma Griffith.
Scott stated, “We acquired a cutter, power saw, small and big sledgehammers, and fireman axe. Those are parts of the equipment we need to use for breaking in…in terms for when you meet a fire scene, if you need to enter the building. That is for easier access, so you can use that as break-in tools or if there is a vehicle accident, you could use that to extract persons from.”
In light of recent upgrades, officials questioned whether the fire station is now better equipped to respond swiftly to emergencies, including incidents similar to the Mahdia dorm fire.
Given that the trenches are dried up during dry season, Scott recommended that a well would be useful to replenish water for firefighting.
According to DPI, he said that the team is always prepared to respond to any type of fire, “and everything is based on time consumption. No two fires are the same… What we do is continuous training. So, in the case there is an emergency, we would respond.”