CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – THE Nevis Fire and Rescue Services is appealing to residents to stop making false fire reports, which officials say are straining resources and disrupting operations.
Since the start of the year, more than 30 fires have been reported on the island, several of which turned out to be false alarms. Divisional Fire Officer Mavis Archibald recently took to ZIZ Radio to make a public appeal, highlighting the problem and sharing statistics for the first half of the year.
“I am asking the public, kindly desist from this, because whenever this happens, there is a wear and tear on our appliances, our resources will deplete… because we have to replenish the gas, we have a puncture, we have to fix that. And so it always…causes a backlash for us,” Archibald said.
She added: “So, can you please, I am appealing to you to desist from making false prank call[s].”
Archibald reported that from January to March, the division responded to 23 incidents:
January: Four fires – one bushfire, one false alarm, and two garbage fires.
February: Eight fires – two bushfires, two false alarms, three garbage fires, and one house fire.
March: Eleven incidents – three bushfires, two false alarms, two garbage fires, one motor vehicle accident, and three alarm-related calls.
For the second quarter, the division responded to:
April: Fifteen incidents – five bushfires, eight garbage fires, one motor vehicle accident, and one vehicle fire.
May: Seven incidents – three bushfires, two false alarms, one house fire, and one alarm.
June: Eleven incidents – three bushfires, one false alarm, six garbage fires, and one alarm-related call.
She stressed that false calls have been a recurring issue almost every month this year and reiterated her plea for residents to act responsibly.
