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President of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, Cedric Murrell (second from right) makes a point to (left) Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite; Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard and (right) Chairman of the Barbados Fire Service Association, Corrie Bridgeman. 

safety matters

Chairman: Fire officers need more training, equipment

 

The Barbados Fire Service Association is asking for more training for fire officers in this country to ensure that their lives are not put at undue risks.
 
Addressing the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday morning at Solidarity House, Chairman, Corrie Bridgeman said that with more high-rise buildings being constructed in this country, fire officers are facing a new challenge, and it is imperative that steps are taken to properly equip those officers to address that challenge.
 
“There are major differences between high rise fire-fighting and that to which we are accustomed. So, to effectively perform our duties, we are asking for more training as it relates to this issue,” he said.
 
Additionally, the Chairman said that his members also require rescue training in respect of emergencies involving flooding. His comments came just moments after he raised concern that more than 50 per cent of the fire officers in the Service are not certified in Fire Fighting I and II, which he noted are the basic requirements for entry level certification to join the service, and is also a prerequisite to access overseas training.
 
Meanwhile, he also voiced concern about the lack of several pieces of equipment, which he said is pertinent to the officers carrying out their duties. While not able to relay his concerns to Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite, who was called away before the start of the AGM, he told the audience which included Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gayle Francis-Vaughan, that there needs to be an increase in portable radios at each fire station. He made the point while contending that the Association will not sit by and continue to allow their members to go into burning buildings without the adequate amount of radio communication, personal protective equipment, rescue tools, breathing apparatus and personal alert safety systems.
 
“We believe it is time that our administration seeks first to secure the safety of our members by providing these necessary tools,” he said.
 
His made the point while noting that some years back fire officers were sharing face masks, which he noted was not sanitary, and he said the Fire Service seems to be heading back in that direction. Bridgeman noted that the Service has purchased a different brand of breathing apparatus and fire officers will have to go back to sharing those face masks. Those face masks would have to be cleaned after each use by different users, and he explained that based on the specifications of the manufacturers, the cleaning and drying time is at least half a day. This, he alluded, would not only compromise their health, but their ability to perform their duties.
 
“This is equivalent to moving away from a 1980s cellular phone to purchase and issue an up to date 21st Century cellular phone with all the features and apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Internet access, to then return to the 1980s cellular phone in this day and age, notwithstanding the safety demands of modernisation,” he stated. (JRT)
 
 
 
 

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