Heads must roll over fire

THE EDITOR: Now that a major part of Port-of-Spain has been destroyed by that unfortunate fire there seem to be a number of relevant issues that need to be publicly addressed. The last set of fire appliances purchased by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for Fire Services was in fact  made up of foreign used appliances that were trouble prone from inception. As a matter of fact drivers of these appliances were always complaining about the unreliability of these units. They lacked the power to operate on the hilly terrains and quickly overheated and broke down. Of course everyone knew when these units had a load of water as leaks were continuous. However the pretty-looking air-conditioned yellow-striped scania units made the Government of the day look as if it were investing millions to give proper equipment to one of its agencies.

Now that the truth is in the open, what will be the strategies? There are a number of salient points to consider after the aftermath of the destruction of Port-of-Spain. Officials at the Ministry of Finance who may have sanctioned the idea of purchasing defective equipment with hard-earned tax dollars must be held accountable. Sorry Mr Valley but that includes you. Did officials of the relevant ministry know that the salt water hydrant system has been in a derelict condition for 15 years? If so why was it not repaired? All relevant parties must accept a collective responsibility for this, and heads must roll. Sorry Mr Alfred but this must include you.

Also the failure of the Government to implement safety regulations which could have meant a more rigid inspection of buildings constructed with class (A) materials. And proper equipment placed in strategic locations as necessary. There goes the head of Lenny Saith. And finally the `man who knows it all, the Minister of National Security, who has been so absorbed in the losing crime battle that he has neglected the remainder of his charges. It is unfortunate that the move to achieve some level of progress in terms of development has to be born out of disaster.

A number of prime examples are before us: St Ann’s hospital kitchen. A derelict kitchen for years fixed only after mass protest. Two hundred new police cars only after massive crime spree (no tangible results seen yet). Carenage police station fixed only after it was abandoned. Roads fixed only after taxi strike leaving school children and the working class stranded. Doctors, nurses, teachers and lifeguards enjoy increases in remuneration but only after withholding their services. Is this how we have to progress to 2020? And the latest? Salt water mains fixed in Port-of-Spain after 200-million-dollar fire, which left hundreds unemployed. Fire service gets brand new modern equipment after borrowing TTEC and WASA trucks to fight fire in downtown Port-of-Spain.

SEAN DE MILLS
Port-of-Spain