Fire Service again deplores condition of fire hydrants
Guyana Chronicle
February 14, 2004
THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has again expressed concern over the condition of the fire hydrants in the City. The defective hydrants severely hamper the effective operation of firefighters when they have to respond to alarms of fire.
Divisional Officer of the GFS Mr. Lawrence David pointed out to the Guyana Chronicle last Thursday that while it would be difficult to estimate the degree of hindrance posed to firefighters by non-functioning hydrants, he had no doubt that it would be significant.
“Fire hydrants enable us to respond more quickly in getting water to the fire,” he explained. “In the absence of this essential equipment officers would have to resort to an open source.”
Mr David noted that when firemen have to resort to ‘open sources’ they generally take more time since this process entails greater lengths of a suction hose. Additionally, the depth of the water and its percentage of siltation are also critical factors.
There are growing concerns from sections of society about the poor performance of the Fire Service due to non-functioning fire hydrants, David stated.
The question of defective fire hydrants has been raised since the November 13, 2003 conflagration at Hadfield and Lombard Streets in the City. This blaze left millions of dollars of damage in its wake and sent scores of employees on the breadline.
Businessmen who were affected lamented their losses and blamed the lack of readily available water for the extent of the disaster. A distraught Mr. Brian James, proprietor of Auto Supplies, and joint proprietor of Royal Castle, had expressed concern that there was no water in the hydrants to help extinguish the blaze.
Some reports claimed that at the time of the Lombard Street fire half of the City’s hydrants were non-functioning.
A report from Guyana Water Inc (GWI) had blamed the activities of vandals for the defective hydrants.
Mr. Javin Singh, holding the fort for GWI ’s Public Relations Officer Ms. Andreyanna Thomas, who is on vacation, told this newspaper Thursday that the Water Licence Act 2002 does not state that his agency has the responsibility for fire hydrants.
Singh noted that while a committee is reviewing the issue, GWI is “tending” the fire hydrants. He disclosed that several hydrants were fixed or replaced recently including the one at the junction of Lombard and Hadfield Streets. (Shirwin Campbell)