PROFOUND LESSONS FOR JAMAICA FROM NEW YORK FIRE

ACTING ASSISTANT Commissioner Floyd McLean, chief fire prevention officer at the Jamaica Fire Brigade, believes that there are profound lessons to be learnt from a massive fire at an apartment building in the Bronx in New York City on Thursday that left 13 persons dead, including at least five members of a Jamaican family.

In an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, McLean directed his concerns to building developers, stressing that persons must understand that at least 70 per cent of building construction speaks to fire protection. As such, he believes that the incident has brought into sharp focus the need for building standards to be enforced, be it apartments, hotels, officers, or industrial occupancies.

“Given the rate of development now and some malpractices that can be identified now in the system, it (incident) rings close to home. We are still battling with improper building practices, improper occupancy standards. The larger responsibility rests with the developer, but citizens also have a responsibility,” he said.

“Our developers must now wake up and adhere to standards in order to prevent early collapse of structure, fire and smoke spread in all occupied buildings, especially those that are sleeping accommodation. I purport that we take stock of the natural and manmade disasters more seriously and ensure that there is acceptable code enforcement, which should lead to improved adherence to lifesafety standards.”

A tear runs down the face of Kenyon George, whose girlfriend, Shawntay Young, died during an apartment building fire a day earlier in the Bronx borough of New York, on Friday. Young was one of more than 10 people who died in the fire.

AP New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a news conference after fire crews responded to the building fire in the Bronx borough of New York.

MCLEAN