Otto Carrington
Senior Reporter
otto.carrington@cnc3.co.tt
Chief Fire Officer Arnold Bristow has defended the acquisition of 20 wooden ladders by the T&T Fire Service (TTFS) for just under $1 million. He also denied claims that the ladders are not in use.
“The standard in Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service ladders has always been integral and wooden ladders have always been a key element in our organization’s apparatus,” he explained.
“The standard fire truck appliance would normally be required to carry three ladders, a first floor ladder, a 13.5 meter extension ladder, as well as a 10.5 meter extension ladder. It has always been the choice of the Fire Service to have wood ladders because wood does not conduct electricity.”
Bristow said because electrical transmission lines across the country are still located above ground, fire officers are able to make a tactical decision in terms of which ladder to use in a particular situation.
The procurement of ladders became a contentious issue when social activist and businessman Inshan Ishmael made a request through the Freedom of Information Act for data on firefighting equipment purchased for fire stations and firefighter personnel between January 2015 to April 2023.
It was revealed, among other things, that the 20 wooden ladders had been purchased for $999,000.
Bristow said since he joined the TTFS executive in 2015 under then Fire Chief Roosvelt Bruce there has been a tightening of procurement practices “to ensure that best practices are applied to all our procurement purchases.”
During the recent sitting of Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee when the National Security Ministry’s financial records were being examined, Naparima MP Rodney Charles asked about the procurement of the ladders and questioned the decision-making process.
However, Bristow said the ladders are being used and the only setback is the modification of trucks to accomodate them.
He said when he became Fire Chief one notable issue he encountered was the Fire Service’s emphasis on front-end procurement rather than back-end procurement to ensure timely payments for goods and services.
He said the primary supplier for welding equipment and gas used for fire appliances is Massy Gas, formerly known as IGL but the TTFS accounts have been frozen since around 2012 or 2013 due to outstanding bills.
Bristow said this has hindered access to necessary resources, particularly for retrofitting numrous appliances to accommodate new ladders.
He said he initiated a pilot project in the Northern Division, retrofitting two appliances located in Chaguaramas and at Fire Services Headquarters in Port of Spain and these stations received the new wooden ladders as part of this initiative.
