Essential to strengthen Fire Service

THE EDITOR: In October, during the 2025 budget discussions, the Fire Services Association (FSA) raised urgent concerns about a drastic 64 per cent reduction in funding for new vehicles and equipment. Unfortunately, recent events have tragically highlighted the devastating impact of this funding cut.

Reports indicate that when a call was made to the Arima Fire Station regarding the fire that claimed the lives of Minister Morris-Julian and her two children on December 16, the station’s fire truck was unavailable, having been deployed to an industrial fire. The Tunapuna Fire Station was subsequently contacted, but its truck was also engaged in responding to another house fire.

This is not an isolated incident. Lives have been lost before due to a shortage of fire tenders in other areas, as outlined in a media release issued by the FSA on December 17.

In 2021, three young children – Ezekiel, Faith and Kayden Burke – tragically perished in a fire at Rookery Nook, Maraval. At the time the Woodbrook Fire Station, responsible for that area, lacked a functioning fire appliance.

In September 2023, Malcolm Diaz, a visually impaired senior citizen, lost his life in a fire near the Santa Cruz Fire Station, which was not equipped with a fire tender.

In March 2024, four families in the Penal and Barrackpore areas were displaced by separate fires while the Penal Fire Station remained without a fire tender.

In light of these devastating losses linked to inadequate fire service resources, the government must urgently address these critical questions:

* Does TT have an adequate fleet of fire trucks and emergency vehicles to ensure public safety effectively?

* Is the government providing sufficient funding to equip the Fire Service with the necessary resources for a reliable and responsive emergency response system?

Immediate government intervention is essential to strengthen the nation’s fire service infrastructure and prevent further needless tragedies.

LEISHA S DHORAY

via e-mail