Contrary to some aspects of public opinion, the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Service Prevention Unit, at theClaytonJ.LloydInternationalAirport, is not an idle body with very little work to do. This is according to Duson Dupigay, Fire Prevention Coordinator.
Mr. Dupigay turned up at The Anguillian newspaper office on Monday, February 13, denying an oft-repeated charge, by members of the public, that Fire Officers had nothing to do and that their service was probably an area where Government could make some expenditure cuts.
He produced a signed list of engagements which showed that the Fire Department dealt with six emergency responses and one prank call during the period January 1 to February 3, 2012 as follows: Saturday, January 7 – a grass fire at Island Harbour; Sunday, January 15 – a traffic accident at George Hill; Friday, January 20 – a traffic accident at West End; Saturday, January 21- a motor vehicle fire at Wallblake Road; Sunday, January 22 – a utility pole fire at Roaches Hill; Thursday, February 2 – an electrical fire at the Social Security Building; and Friday, February 3 – a prank call.
“As one of our campaigns this year, we are trying to build community awareness about the good work that the Fire Department is doing. To that end, we will be publishing the emergencies we attend and other fire prevention activities we will be having during the course of the year,” Mr.Dupigay said. “In addition, we want to have a few community activities, including clean-up campaigns, to help ensure safety as one of our duties as fire fighters is to ensure the safety of all persons inAnguilla.”
Mr. Dupigay’s main duties include mitigation and risk reduction of fire emergencies, and ensuring that there are available resources to deal with any emergency situation. “Technically, we have two fire sections: the aerodrome section which deals with theClaytonJ.LloydInternationalAirport, and the domestic section which has responsibility for any emergency that happens in and aroundAnguilla,”
According to Dupigay, the domestic fire service is not as regulated as the aerodrome fire-fighting section which requires a certain minimum number of officers. The domestic unit usually has five firefighters and one officer manning the fire tender at any given time. He explained that on average there were a total of 15 fire-fighters with five of them serving on each of three domestic shifts.
He was asked why some members of the public were of the view that fire-fighters had very little to do. “I guess it was due to an old custom,” he replied. “In 2007 we took over responsibility for the Fire Department from the Police and previously our duties as fire-fighters were only limited to the airport section. Now, we have actually taken on responsibility for all emergencies in and aroundAnguilla.
“What [we are now]trying to do is to show that the less the fire truck is seen on the road it is better forAnguilla. Every time the fire-engine starts up, and moves, there is a diesel cost attached to it and water and hydraulic costs. So the less emergencies we have, will be the less cost to Government for the operation of the fire service.” Dupigay stressed, however, that once there was an emergency, the fire-fighters would respond immediately.
He said there was very little time for relaxation at the Fire Department. Each day, from 9 a.m., personnel working on shift would check every piece of equipment; make sure that all the trucks were filled with water or foam as the case may be; and that all the fuel and oil reservoirs were filled and the fire tenders were ready to go. “At 10 o’clock the fire-fighters would stop all such work, and the lecture sessions would begin to ensure that the level of compliance is maintained up to international standard,” he went on. “They would break at 12.30 and have lunch. At two-o’clock they fall in for practical drills such as hose management, response drill and so on. Everyday, from Monday to Thursday, the fire-fighters are actively engaged in activities on station when they are not responding to emergencies.”
Dupigay made the point that the fire-fighters respond to every call including those which turn out to be hoaxes, or pranks as he called them. At the same time, however, he pointed out that such calls were a waste of time, money and unnecessary wear and tear on equipment. He advised that emergencies were serious matters and emphasised that a prank call to one area could deprive another area of service in the event of a genuine emergency call.
The Fire Prevention Coordinator said his department was looking at ways of maximising the use of its minimal fire-fighting resources. He disclosed that the Fire Service was working with some owners of big properties to install fire protection systems, so that if a fire were to occur in those areas it would be possible to get assistance to put out a fire there without using the department’s fire tender.
“We worked with Viceroy to put inthe first hydrant system inAnguilla, so there is a functioning one there,” Mr. Dupigay said. “It means that if our trucks have to go to an emergency at Viceroy we will not be using our fire tender. We will only be using our hose coupled to the hydrant system and the pumps there. We are working with other hotels to put in a similar system, so that if something happens while we are dealing with a fire at a big property, the truck would be able to respond to a fire at another area.”
