BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CHIEF of the St. Kitts Nevis Fire and Rescue Services Everette O’Garro has reported that a decrease in the general incidents of fire was recorded in 2015 over the previous year. However, the Department continues to be concerned about the the number of bush fires.
The Fire Chief told SKNVibes this morning (Feb. 25) that there was a near 10 percent reduction in fires across the Federation. He informed that 653 fires were recorded for last year, as compared with 722 in 2014.
All districts across the Federation – barring Basseterre – had recorded reductions in reported fires.
In the Basseterre district there was a nine percent increase; from 252 in 2014 to 277 in 2015.
In the other districts, however, a downward trend was observed: Tabernacle recorded 131 in 2015 and 169 in 2014, in Sandy Point there were 157 in 2014 and 120 in 2015 and in Nevis, there were 144 recorded fires in 2014 and 125 in 2015.
O’Garro said the Department is pleased with the general reduction but it still has serious concerns with the number of bush fires that continue to be willfully set.
“Notwithstanding the general reduction in fires, we are still concerned about the alarming increase in the incidents of bush fires. They can become very problematic in a number of ways, including the fact that they can result in the loss of property, limb or life….”
He said there has been a 38 percent increase in bush fires and explained that attending to these fires in particular, puts additional strain on the Department and its resources as well as on those of the Federation to some extent.
“Every time we have to respond to one of these fires there is serious cost attached to it, both financial and otherwise. The Fire Department is part of the water conservation programme which has been adopted by the Water Department, so it is imperative that we keep down the incidence of fire. There is need to conserve water and if people are willfully setting brush fires then it means these people would be forcing us to use the resource which we could otherwise utilize.
The Fire Chief said the Department continues to do its part in promoting fire prevention and fire safety, which include public service announcements and the fire safety summer programmes.
