At the handing over, a representative of the insurance industry said that there are concerns in the insurance community about the fire operating apparatus of the Guyana Fire Service.
The money was handed over yesterday by Howard Cox, Fire Manager Director of Hand-in-Hand Fire Insurance, at the Brickdam Office of M.P. Insurance Brokers and Consultants Ltd. M.P. Insurance Brokers and Consultants Ltd had negotiated with Hand-in-Hand for the payment of the money. The sum of money represents full coverage for the claim. The company has a second claim for stock with the Insurance company which is currently being negotiated.
This is the first payout by Hand-in-Hand Fire Insurance for the two recent fires on Regent Street and Cox revealed that other companies have claims which are currently being processed. Cox disclosed that some of these claims couldn’t be processed until the official report from the fire investigations is released by the Fire Service.
After receiving the cheque, Daby handed it over to a representative of Demerara Bank. The bank reportedly issued a loan to allow Daby to repair the building which housed his store. The store is currently up and running at its old location. The proprietor expressed gratitude to M.P. Insurance Brokers and Consultants and Hand-in-Hand Fire Insurance Company, which he said facilitated the quick release of the funds.
Meanwhile, Cox expressed concerns about the capabilities of the local fire service. While emphasising that the fire-fighters were hard-working and dedicated, he said that “the insurance industry has some serious concerns on the whole fire service apparatus.” He pointed out that the unavailability of water had let the fire service down in its fire-fighting role and opined that without the proper tools, the fire service would always be “doing catch up”. According to him, the Insurance industry is very concerned about this matter and plans to issue a statement shortly.
