Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
Fire Service Association president Keone Guy is calling on the authorities to move swiftly to rebuild the Princes Town Fire Station.
He made the call even as the chairman of the Princes Town Regional Corporation invited the National Security Minister to spend a few nights at the station.
He said that even though the officers who were assigned to the station had been relocated due to health and safety issues, they remained concerned about the response time to distress calls in the area. On Thursday, approximately 40 fire officers from the Princes Town Fire Station were relocated because of a rat, bat, and pigeon infestation at the building. The officers also complained about the prevalence of mosquitoes and poor conditions at the station which included dilapidated rooms and a pile-up of old furniture and tyres around the compound.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Guy said the fire officers were satisfied with their temporary accommodations at the Rio Claro and Penal Fire Stations. However, he said they remain concerned about the fire protection for the Princes Town area which includes parts of Moruga, Tabaquite and Barrackpore.
“The only solution is to ensure the Princes Town Fire Station is fully demolished and rebuilt as quickly as possible,” he said.
The fire service was forced to find alternative arrangements for the officers after they refused to continue occupying what they called a dilapidated building and working under deplorable conditions.
Meanwhile, in a press release yesterday, Princes Town Regional Corporation chairman Gowrie Roopnarine invited the National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, to spend a few nights at the Princes Town Fire Station.
He said he was extending the invitation on behalf of the residents of the area.
He claimed the Government does not understand the dire need for an immediate resolution to the accommodation crisis in the district. Expressing solidarity with the officers’ move, the chairman said he was appalled that the minister allowed the situation to deteriorate to a crisis level, resulting in officers being displaced and leaving the community at risk due to the negative effect on response times.
Following a visit to the station, Roopnarine described it as unsanitary, under-resourced and a hazardous working environment unfit for human occupation.
He said he agreed with the Fire Service Association president that the station was a “house of horrors”.
Roopnarine demanded that the Government move expeditiously to find an acceptable alternate space to house the officers within Princes Town.
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath and Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin both expressed concerns over the situation regarding the Princes Town Fire Station and called on the Government to move swiftly to have it rectified.