Quick Action by Fire Brigade in Trelawny Saved Millions of Dollars

Quick action on the part of the Trelawny Fire Brigade resulted in property savings of over $107.8 million for the month of January in the parish.
According to Assistant Superintendent in the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Trelawny Division, Everton Houston, the figure resulted from approximately 15 fires which occurred in the parish over the period.
He made the disclosure while tabling a report at the monthly meeting of the Trelawny Parish Council, held in Water Square, Falmouth, on February 11.
Mr. Houston said that the Falmouth Fire Station received a total of 24 calls during the month of January, 15 of which were for genuine fires, two designated as special service calls, four malicious false alarms, two motor vehicle accidents, and one categorised as false alarm with good intent. He pointed out that the 24 calls received for the month of January compared favourably with the 36 calls received in December 2009. There was damage to property worth $25 million for the month of January.
“Of the 15 genuine calls we received, there were four house fires, resulting in 24 persons being left homeless. Subsequently, one person died,” he noted.
Mr. Houston informed that the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) attached to the Falmouth Fire Station, responded to 42 calls during the period, two of which were motor vehicle accidents. Fortunately, no one died in those accidents.
The Assistant Superintendent pleaded for continued vigilance from residents with regard to fires, pointing out that with the drought now on, persons should exercise extra caution when dealing with outdoor fires.