By LARA PICKFORD GORDON Monday, October 5 2009

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Ag Chief Fire Officer Justin Bowen...

THE NUMBER of elderly persons dying in fires is a concern for the Fire Service of TT. Ag Chief Fire Officer Justin Bowen said statistics from January to September showed that senior citizens “are at greater danger from fires at home than anywhere else”.

Speaking at the launch of Fire Service Prevention Week (October 4-10) at the Fire Service Headquarters Wrightson Road, Bowen said 27 of the 43 fire deaths for the period 2005-2009 were among persons 65 years and older. During the question session Bowen said most times the elderly people lived alone and the Fire Service could only advise the public to check on their elderly relatives regularly. Bowen is hoping that during the week as children at schools receive information on this aspect of prevention, it could filter back to their parents “and ensure the elderly among them can live in a safe environment”. Bowen said many fires occurred in homes which did not have electricity because of candles left unattended, or children who were left unsupervised and they ended up playing with matches. To prevent electrical fires he advised the public to contact the Fire Prevention Department for information on designing their homes for better safety. One of the things advocated is for people to have a spare key for their burglar proofing located in an easily accessible location.

Bowen said fires cost more than $62 million in losses last year with 798 calls. In 2007 the Fire Service responded to 841 structural fires and there was more than $115 million in losses.

“This year, Fire Safety Week is dedicated to educating the public about the importance of fire safety and the theme is ‘Towards Safer Communities’. Our messages are therefore designed to get citizens to understand that ‘Fire Prevention is Everyone’s #1 Priority.”

He said the overall purpose of the week of activities is to highlight the role of the Fire Service in reducing the numberof fires and to encourage the public to adopt responsible behaviour by highlighting the many ways they can get involved. Bowen said, the week also aims to show the “true costs of fires and accidents, both in personal and monetary terms”.

He said making a difference depends on more people getting involved in the event and improving their knowledge of fire and life safety. Fire Prevention Week has been observed in TT for the past 25 years. While fire prevention was the main focus in the early years, educational programmes have expanded to include topics such as burn injuries, electrical safety, first aid and natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes). Bowen said the wider educational focus and the Fire Service role as “first responder” to various emergencies resulted in fire education becoming “Fire and Life Safety Education”.

The week of activities began yesterday with an inter-faith service, parade and concert. Today a Fire Service caravan will travel from San Juan to Sangre Grande. From Tuesday through Thursday different fire stations will embark on public awareness. The caravan resumes on Friday in Chaguanas and there will be an exhibition at Trincity Mall and Harris Promenade on Saturday.

Tobago will also have a series of activities.