'I won't risk my firefighters' lives' - Jamaica Observer

Source: Jamaica Observer

MAY PEN, Clarendon -- The head of the Jamaica Fire Brigade's Clarendon division has made it clear that he will not risk his team members' lives to rescue residents who ignore evacuation notices ahead of severe weather events.

"We are in the hurricane season and we want to implore those who are living in low-lying, flood-prone communities to heed the warnings of the relevant authorities should an evacuation order be issued," Superintendent Horace Thomas said during Thursday's sitting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation's monthly meeting.

"Once an evacuation order is given, if a hurricane should come, at the Jamaica Fire Brigade our mandate indeed is to save lives and property; but we, of course, have to balance that with common sense. We want to urge persons living in these areas to leave once the order is given, as once we are in an active hurricane we will not be going out actively until the situation resolves itself," he said.

"We don't want to put our men and women in imminent and undue danger. Firefighting in and of itself is an inherently dangerous activity and, of course, the risks that we take are calculated. If we feel that going out in the hurricane passage is a risk that is not acceptable then we will have to wait until it becomes acceptable. I want to use this platform to encourage people to heed the disaster warnings and listen to the weather updates as they come," he urged.

This is a warning that is often repeated across the country each year during the hurricane season. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie is among those who have made similar appeals in the past.

According to the Met Service, the 2024 hurricane season is predicted to be an above-normal one with between 17 and 25 tropical storms expected. Where hurricanes are concerned there could be eight to 13 and of those, four to seven are expected to become major hurricanes.

During Thursday's meeting Thomas also issued a warning to citizens to be wary of using candles in the event of power loss.

"Historically, once we come out of a drought season and it begins to rain it affects the power supply that goes to homes. We also note that most of these house fires would have occurred in vulnerable communities and we want to encourage persons living in those communities to reduce or not use candles for lighting," he urged.

He encouraged them to use other sources such as battery-operated lights, or those that can be recharged, to power their homes.