Chronic problems besetting fire service have been allowed to fester for decades

I am a former Policeman from Guyana, now living in the USA. As a Policeman, I spent 13 years in the Brickdam Police Station Complex, IMPACT BASE. Basically, Brickdam was my home away from home and it is painful to see the place in which I worked, cried and bled, go up in flames. This sentiment is the same for all former Brickdam policemen and women now living in the USA. Now let’s break this down:

According to reports from Demerarawaves.com and other media houses, the fire started in the lock-ups by a detainee in his cell using a “piece of sponge that was hooked on a piece of wire and lit with a cigarette lighter that was then pushed through a ventilation hole”. Once again, there is fire involving persons in custody. There are fire retardant beds, mattresses and pillows being used in correctional facilities all over the world, why can’t this be done in Guyana? When is Guyana going to learn that inmates/detainees/ prisoners cannot have foam or sponge mattress, wires and lighters and other contraband in the lockup/ holding cell/or in the prison? These items pose severe safety and security issues; over the past few years, our prison systems were all affected by fires, some of which ended with several loss of lives. Now, anyone knowing the physical layout of the Brickdam Police Complex knows that although the story being circulated is plausible, it’s very hard to believe that the entire complex, including the Court Superintendent’s Office was almost completely gutted, considering some of the buildings were not completely joined.

H.E President Dr. Irfaan Ali addressed the media on the Brickdam fire and the performance or lack of, by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS): President Ali expressed his dissatisfaction with the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), rightfully so, while at the same time praising the work done by the Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn. I believe the GFS falls directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs and so do the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), so stop “kicking the can down the road” President Ali and address Minister Benn accordingly.

My questions are: (1) were there any fire extinguishers in the buildings of the Brickdam Police Station Complex? If so, when were they last updated and were the staff trained to use them? (2) When was the last time a fire inspection was conducted by fire service personnel on the Brickdam Police Station Complex and/or any public building? President Ali stated, “We spent hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment and safety gears for the Guyana Fire Service”. The last time I checked, most fires are extinguished by water; when are we going to address where the fire service will get a continuous flow of water to achieve its objective; also, when are we going to enforce installation of fire suppression systems such as sprinklers in our building codes? Maybe we could start by fixing the fire hydrants and/or installing new ones, especially in places that hold public records since those seem to be the buildings that suspiciously go up in flames. Now that will be money/tax payers’ dollars well spent!

Let’s look at the issues faced by the GFS. The GFS always shows up late to a fire, even if a fire station is stationed a block away; there is little or no water from the fire hydrants; fire hoses are porous. This has been going on for decades and no one is held accountable. I’m happy that President Ali is calling on the Diaspora to assist in addressing and contributing to the GFS. This should also be for other agencies such as, the GPS and GPF. The Diaspora however must be guaranteed that they will be included in any discussion with the Guyana government when using their ideas/concept. Guyana has been suffering from “brain drain” for a very long time. Since leaving Guyana, several Guyanese, such as myself, attained specialized training in various areas of Public Service and would love to bring that knowledge and training to Guyana. I have been a Corrections Director for over 12 years in the USA both on a State and Federal level. One could therefore understand the dissatisfaction that many others and myself see with this issue that keeps recurring. I hope that the points mentioned above will be addressed or at least start a discussion to make things better in the Guyana Fire Service.