Households Urged to Review Fire-Safety Plans This Christmas

With the festive Christmas season under way and many Jamaicans welcoming visitors into their homes, the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is urging households to review and practise their fire-safety plans to guard against avoidable tragedies.

JFB Public Education Officer, Superintendent Emeleo Ebanks, emphasised that while workplaces generally maintain strong fire-safety systems, the majority of fire-related deaths in Jamaica occur in homes, where safety practices are too often overlooked.

“A lot of us practise fire safety at work. But when we get home, we don’t practise the same things. So we need to conduct fire drills at home,” he urged while addressing a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’.

Superintendent Ebanks noted that during the holiday season, many households host guests unfamiliar with their surroundings and, therefore, stressed the importance of clearly communicating home-evacuation plans.

“It is very important that you tell persons what you will be doing in the event of any disaster. Let them know where the assembly point is and who is responsible for calling the Jamaica Fire Brigade,” he shared.

While the JFB continues to encourage the use of emergency numbers 110 and 112, Superintendent Ebanks is reminding the public that direct contact with the nearest station ensures the fastest response, particularly in communities with similar names.

He recounted a past incident in which a fire reported in ‘Mona’ was mistakenly assigned to Kingston and St. Andrew, though it was actually occurring in Mona, St. Mary – significantly delaying the response.

“If those persons had the number to their nearest fire station, the fire would have been responded to within five minutes. We encourage everyone to go to their nearest fire station, meet the firefighters, and get the correct contact information,” the JFB senior officer stated.

He also urges families to develop realistic evacuation plans that take into account elderly or disabled household members.

“You can’t expect one person weighing 150 pounds to lift out a 300 pound grandmother during a fire. You must create a practical plan, and test that plan regularly,” Superintendent Ebanks said.

Despite challenges facing many Jamaican communities, particularly in the west, the JFB is appealing to citizens to remain vigilant and help prevent any increase in the nation’s fire statistics.

“Let us make sure that we don’t add to the statistics,” Superintendent Ebanks said, adding that “from all of us at the Jamaica Fire Brigade, we wish you a safe and Merry Christmas”.