McKenzie rebukes critics during opening of new Old Harbour fire station

Listening to Desmond McKenzie, the minister of Local Government and Rural Development, rank and file members of the brigade will certainly feel a deep since of appreciation during Tuesday’s opening ceremony of the new fire station in Old Harbour. 

McKenzie, a veteran career politician, was his inimitable self as he does so often on any platform, in mounting a strong defense for firefighters and their tireless task in the face of countless and oftentimes senseless public vitriol.

“I don’t know if Jamaicans accept and appreciate the work of the men and women of the Jamaica Fire Brigade,” he said during his address.
A woman firefighter within earshot of me muttered sotto voce “no, they don’t!”

“And the reason why I say that is because there are times when criticisms are leveled at firefighters,” continued McKenzie. “Some [criticism] might have had some level of justification, but nine out of 10 times the brigade is blamed for persons who decide, either to drive too fast, prepare to go to a party and leave toddlers in the house or steal electricity, and at the end of the day you hear ‘if the fire truck did come early!’.”

The local government minister’s point is a valid one that only an irresponsible adult will try to foolishly defend the indefensible. His comments would have brought into sharp focus yet again terrible tales of properties and lives lost by fire in Jamaica.

The pain of one Clarendon family is still raw after two toddlers – aged three and four years old – perished inside their home at Race Course. The mother of the children had reportedly just gone across the road when the incident occurred. Her claim sounds familiar yet McKenzie’s words ring true. 

“There will be no need for the firefighters if proper parenting would have been executed in the care and keep of your children, he said to rousing applause.

The affirmative response from gathered underneath the tent in overcast conditions, was not to incite a statement of doom and gloom, it must be noted here. Rather it is to emphasize the enormous personal responsibility that one must take into account as parents or guardians.

Added the minister: “And while I understand there are many homes where there’s just a mother alone and that mother has to go out to earn and to find something to put on the table; but in doing so you must consider the options that you have before you take those decisions.”

In referencing the Clarendon fire which occurred on March 24, McKenzie noted that the lives that are usually lost are the most innocent among us.

The 27-year-old mother of the children has since been charged with negligence under the Child Care and Protection Act with the magistrate placing an $800,000 bond for her release on certain conditions.

The West Kingston MP said the death of the Clarendon siblings is “unfortunate” and that their “only crime was that they were born into a situation that a lot of us have to question”.

Without citing any data he said his constituency leads the country in the highest reported number of fires recorded by the Jamaica Fire Brigade. It’s a statistic not to be proud about and neither was the minister making such inference. Instead it’s a call for sober discourse among all.

“We as elected representatives must be able to speak to our constituents to say to them that ‘look when these men and women go out there, they put their lives at risk’,” he said, before adding: “And sometimes in the execution of their duties, they are stoned; they’re described as all sort of uncaring individuals. They are not!”

His call for greater respect for firefighters stemmed from a close relationship built in those early days when he was the Mayor of Kingston. And an even closer bond has been forged with this particular uniformed group, he said, since his ascendency to MP and minister.

“They are an essential part of Jamaica’s landscape,” McKenzie said, while reiterating plans of a new modern approach to disaster response and emergency management to be unveiled at the traditional launch of the hurricane season. Under this new approach the Jamaica Fire Brigade will have a bigger role to play.

“When you go into the United States if you have a motor vehicle accident they don’t call the police; they call the firefighters because it is their responsibility,” said the minister.

Meantime, Commissioner of the JFB Stewart Beckford stated that the Old Harbour Fire Station received 358 emergency calls last year, including fires to residential and commercial properties, motor vehicle accidents and bush fires. Bush fires remain a major concern for the brigade, he said, with St Catherine leading the island with the highest number of reported bush fires. Last year the parish recorded 863 bush fires, a reduction when compared to the previous year.