On Thursday, October 8th, the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Service hosted an open house display in the fire station at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport. Persons from the general public were able to visit the firehouse and learn about the various types of equipment and procedures with which the officers carry out their tasks. Many students were on organised field trips with their teachers to take advantage of the tours offered to them by the Fire Officers.
Firefighter Romaro Richardson explained the official purpose of the open house: “Today’s function allows the general public to come and see for themselves the various pieces of equipment that we utilise in our service during fire fighting and rescues. We want people to be knowledgeable of the intricacies of our operations,” he said.
Mr. Richardson pointed out that the Fire Department is positioned to offer various types of service to the public. He explained: “Even though it is one fire station where all of our equipment is housed, we have several divisions that perform specific tasks. There is the Maritime Search and Rescue Unit which has been recently established through the Governor’s Office; there is Land Search and Rescue Division; and there is the Fire Prevention Services Unit, as well as the regular Fire Fighting Division.”
Asked about the Fire Prevention aspect of the operations, and all that this Division entails, Mr. Richardson replied: “This area is linked to the issuance of the Certificate of Fire Compliance. Officers in this Division inspect business places and venues of certain activities in the community to ascertain that these businesses and sites are in compliance with applicable fire prevention standards. If the inspection proves favourable, then a Certificate of Fire Compliance is issued to the business or event organiser.”
Leading Fire Fighter, Lunsford Richardson, described the work of the Land Search and Rescue Division. He explained the relationship between equipment and tools of a rescue mission and demonstrated the use of such apparatus as webbings, harnesses, pulleys, bar-racks, repelling ropes, acoustic knots, figure eights, karabiners, anchor straps and First-Aid kits.
Lunsford also referred to the process of “belaying” and explained that it is the technical term used for climbing down a cliff in order to rescue someone who would have fallen over. He further remarked that while descending the cliff on the ropes, it is standard practice for the rescuer to shout, “Man on belay!” Upon that pronouncement, his colleague at the top of the cliff would make sure that he is anchored firmly in order to secure him from falling.
The Anguillian also met with female Fire Fighter Carronelle Gumbs-Romney. She is attached to the Fire Prevention Unit and, among other features, she displayed smoke detectors and explained how they are activated. She stated: “With regard to these smoke detectors, we are currently running a promotion. Anyone who is sixty-five and older can qualify to have one of these devices installed at their homes.”
She also displayed carbon monoxide detectors that can be installed in garages or in areas where power generators are operating, as well as the fire blanket, and she explained how it is used in case of a kitchen fire. In addition, she demonstrated the use of the Thermal Imaging Camera which indicates the temperatures of the environment in which a fire is raging.
In explaining how it is used, she said: “We know that fire carries heat. So before committing our firefighters into an environment, this device will help us to determine how hot the fire really is.” She turned it on and it indicated, by colour code and reading, the room temperature inside the fire station. But when she took it outside and pointed it in close proximity to a barbecue grill the colour changed and the temperature reading escalated significantly.
Further, Carronelle pointed out initiatives for Fire Prevention. In drawing attention to two documents standing on a table in plexi-glass frames, she said: “These are two new initiatives that we have started this year. This one is a Bonfire Permit, and it has come out of a partnership between the Fire Prevention Unit and the Anguilla National Trust. Anyone who desires to have a bonfire, must first fill out an application with the Trust. Our team will then assess the site — usually on the beach — to make sure that all the required fire safety standards are met. Only then will the permit be granted for the bonfire.”
“The other document here,” Caronelle observed, “is the Certificate of Compliance that is required for all businesses in Anguilla. One cannot obtain a business license without this certificate. This shows that it is safe to operate the business after the premises have been thoroughly assessed and approved by our team.”
Finally, Carronelle commented: “Everything that we do is about safety and maintaining a fire-free environment. Once the surroundings are safe we would have less to worry about. At this Fire Prevention Unit, of course our main purpose is to help prevent fires. We do our best to make sure that the environment is safe and free of fire hazards — so that it does not come to the point where the Fire Rescue Unit is needed.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
