Firemen blazing mad

The firemen asked, if in the midst of a recession, Government has been able to find tens of millions of dollars for Carnival why then can’t the State put some money towards construction of a new building to replace the current 85-year-old structure? “This building was deemed unsafe for human occupation. The structural integrity has been compromised. The building is infested with rats and termites, there are no air-condition units in the dorms and there are holes on the flooring. We have been lobbying since 2015 for a new station,” said a disgruntled officer.

The station, located along the Main Road in Point Fortin houses 50 officers. Two weeks ago, officers placed bunk beds at the front of the station near the pavement, under a tarpaulin tent.

They have been sleeping outside the building out of fear that if they sleep inside, the building can collapse at any time. On Saturday, a contractor met with the firemen and showed a plan for construction of a new building on the same location.

“The contractor has drawn-up a plan and said work could start within the next two weeks once Government gives approval and disburses funds. The foundation would be concrete and the rest, prefab. We are in desperate need of a new station,” a fireman said.

Firemen said that although they are barred from protesting as they are members of the protective services, they will “withdraw” their enthusiasm and abandon the station if construction does not commence within the next two weeks. Efforts to reach National Security Minister Edmund Dillon for a comment yesterday proved futile.