Building a Better Jamaica

MANDEVILLE (JIS):
Monday, February 15, 2010

Mayor of Black River, Councillor Jeremy Palmer, has appealed to persons in St. Elizabeth to desist from lighting fires, as this is causing a drain on the recourses of the fire brigade in the parish.

Speaking to journalists after the monthly meeting of the Council on February 11, the Mayor pointed out that there are laws governing the ways fires can be lit, and called for the public education programme to be stepped up, to save properties from being destroyed.

"In this drought, I sense that people set fire to things that they don't need. People like to burn garbage, they are clearing a piece of land and there is no need to light a fire, because the bush and the land are not that thick. But they just like to set fires," he said.

Mr. Palmer made the comment against the background of a report made to the Council meeting by the parish's Fire Department that members had to respond to some 171 fires in the month of January, with several being bush fires.

The report stated that the Fire Brigade was able to save properties valued at over $90 million, and noted that the department recently acquired a water tender with a capacity for 20,000 litres of water to fight fires.