Water Truck Operators Urged to Cease Loading from Fire Hydrants

Mayor of Savanna-La-Mar, Bertel Moore has called on the National Water Commission (NWC) to provide designated loading bays for its trucks, as water is being illegally sourced for their operations, from the parish’s few functioning fire hydrants.
Speaking at the Westmoreland Parish Council meeting on Thursday (January 8), he noted that the serious problem of the absence of adequate fire hydrants in the parish, has been compounded by several water trucks regularly taking water from the few workable hydrants.
“The parish of Westmoreland is in dire need of more functional fire hydrants. If a large fire should break out in the Savanna-La-Mar town, we would be facing a disaster of great magnitude. Fire hydrants are grossly inadequate in the parish and what makes it worst is that there are water trucks that are filling up at these hydrants. After a while, what generally happen is that the hydrants are damaged because they were not made to be opening daily,” the Mayor pointed out.
He observed that some years ago, the Council had adopted and refurbished some hydrants that were situated at critical areas of the town, which accounted for those that were presently in working condition. Meanwhile, he called for the establishment of working fire hydrants throughout the capital and within smaller townships in the parish.
Observing that of the more than 150 hydrants located in Westmoreland only about five were in working order, Mayor Moore said that working fire hydrants are “critical to the safety of the citizens and the protection of billions of dollars worth of homes, businesses and other material values”.
Turning to other matters, the Mayor announced that the Council would be moving ahead with plans to commence construction of the $100 million Westmoreland Municipal Building during the course of this year.
“After examining the present drawings for the new building, we discovered some inadequacies and we are now in the process of preparing a new plan, which would ensure that we have adequate space for housing all the departments of the council. We at the Council are in the mean time, seeking funding and have already received a commitment from the Minister. We are also thinking of establishing a two storey office complex where other businesses could be accommodated. We want to ensure that whatever we do the building would be adequate for any council for the parish both present and future” Mayor Moore told JIS News after the meeting.