Fire Officers Association: Publish Lisa Morris-Julian report

FIRE Services Association head Keone Guy wants the report into Lisa Morris-Julian’s death made public as he believes fire officers are being "scapegoated" for her death.

Morris-Julian, her son Jesiah, six, and her daughter Xianne, 25, died in a fire at their Farfan Street, Arima home on December 16.

Eyewitnesses said their deaths were avoidable as Morris-Julian and her son remained trapped in a room when the fire caused the roof to collapse.

The body of her eldest, Xianne, was found in another bedroom on the northern side of the house.

The fire began at around 5.30 am and neighbours claim fire officers took almost an hour to respond.

“Everybody tried, but we didn’t have any water and it took some time for the trucks to come and put out the fire," a neighbour told reporters hours after the tragedy.

The TTFS, in a media release on the day of the fire, said the two nearest fire stations were responding to other fires at the time and although both crews arrived “as quickly as possible,” their efforts were hampered by a lack of water.

Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds has since dismissed the lack of water as a factor in the deaths but has not yet publicly commented on the response time from fire officials.

At a media conference on December 20, Hinds named a three-person committee tasked with examining the events surrounding the fire and reviewing the performance of the Arima and Tunapuna Fire Stations.

The committee, which includes Occupational Safety and Health Authority chairman Curt Cadette, former chief fire officer Roosevelt Bruce and attorney Ashtie Mahabir, delivered its report to Hinds on January 10.

Hinds, on February 15, said the report had been submitted to the National Security Council.

“As we had promised, it was put to the National Security Council (NSC). So it is engaging, with emphasis on the ‘ing’, the attention of the NSC.”

Speaking with Newsday on February 20, Guy said he was dissatisfied with the progress being made in releasing the contents of the report.

"Two months have passed since this committee was formed and the public is still none the wiser about the outcome of this investigation."

He said the association believes there should be transparency in all public safety matters.

Guy said no government official had yet responded to his media release sent a day earlier which called for the report to be made public. He said Hinds statement on the report was not enough.

“We appreciate that the minister will see it fit to send the report to NSC but we believe given his public statement and the media conference he held to announce the committee, it is only fitting, that in a similar vein, he publicly releases the findings and recommendations.”

Guy added he believes the report will take fire officers out of the firing line and reveal what really led to the unfortunate deaths.

“We believe the findings of the report will highlight challenges faced by officers, including a shortage of equipment and the faulty equipment that they are being asked to use on daily basis.

“Fire officers should not be held accountable for the systemic issues that affect the organisation’s operational readiness.”