Comments on: Fire Chief blasts sections of business community’s indifference to fire rules

By: Satish

Satish — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:17:45 +0000

Excellent input, kenneth. The problems you mention will not be fixed overnight however they do have to be fixed and your suggestions are extremely practical.

Guyana’s development is just commencing so there will be mis-steps along the way.
We just have to pick ourselves up after each disaster and try to be better next time.
Even a powerful nation like China has problems of the sort you mention in relation to shoddy workmanship etc .. so such problems with building permits/control are not just special to Guyana.

By: kenneth ragnauth

kenneth ragnauth — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:49:50 +0000

The fire chief is say a little too late. In Guyana nobody follows the standards and code,for whatever little we have, they are not enforced.
Electrical wiring is sub-standard and what puts addational pressures on the wiring is the heavy voltage fluctation.
Mandatory space around buildings are no longer maintained. Zoneing, has gone out the window. A welding shop can be set up net to a gas station, a rum shop next to a school, a three story building in a residential area that has only single floor dwelling etc, etc.
Anybody can work as a contractor, no formal schooling, no licence, no insurance, he has no place of business, but it is okay.
Concrete is mixed to any desired strength, no problem, inadequate reinforcement, no problem.
Bridges constructed over drainage without provisions to allow for cleaning etc.
Just look around you and you will see why the fire chief words will not make a difference. In GT everyone is a law unto themselves.

UG final year civil students can do projects to show the impact of non confirmation to standards on the society’s well being.
I am surprised also that the insurance companies do not insists on higher standards when they are providing insurance to buildings and properties.

By: Satish

Satish — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:58:09 +0000

All too often; businessmen are PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH.
Legislation needs to be toughened up to force businesses to conform to minimum standards.
Those standards can be ADVISORY in some instances however in other instances; standards must be MANDATORY with a threat of business closure.

A simple bucket of sand placed strategically around business may be all that is needed to snuff a fire in its initial stages yet how many FAIL in this simple measure.
How much does a bucket of sand cost?

Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle mentioned many excellent fire prevention measures however; he is on weak ground when suggesting that business premises should carry our rewiring of their circuits.
There are tremendous difficulties and expenses in FORCING THIS MEASURE onto businesses nevertheless, that is not to say that GPL cannot refuse to supply premises they deem to be unfit for supply.

The business representative from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce seems to be conciliatory when he agrees that the government ought to make it MANDITORY that businesses embrace regulation and this is certainly a start.

Firemen who are not attending fires should make unannounced/random visits to businesses to check conformity.

Mr Gentle said that the fire last Friday could have been far more extensive and that we were very lucky. It seems to me that seemingly sensible business folk take a leaf out of the film star Clint Eastwood’s movie philosophy when planning fire-prevention measures, namely: Go on punk! Do you feel lucky today!