The final report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the fire at the Drop-in Centre on Hadfield Street that claimed the lives of two young brothers was delivered to Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday.
President David Granger had set up the CoI, which was headed by retired Colonel Windee Algernon, to investigate, examine and report on the causes, conditions and surrounding circumstance that led to the deaths of Antonio George and Joshua George on July 7, 2016, while they were in the care, control and custody of the state.
A preliminary report was submitted on July 22 and Harmon had explained then that the report had highlighted that the centre had systematic problems and bad policy arrangements for fire.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Presidency issued yesterday, Harmon said that the recommendations from the preliminary report have been taken “very seriously” and that Granger has since requested Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan to take a “fresh look” at fire safety precautions and possible fire hazards at government buildings.
“Now that we have the [final] report, we are confident that the various ministries and government departments will look at the recommendations and do what is required so that we can provide safe and secure places not only for children, but for everyone. This was a tragedy, but as a State we have a responsibility to every person… This is a wakeup call for us insofar as fire safety and security are concerned,” the statement quoted Harmon as saying. Copies of the report were also presented to Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence and Acting Chief Fire Officer Winston McGregor.
The statement added that Lawrence echoed similar sentiments as Harmon and explained that there is a meeting already scheduled for the coming week with the Director and Management of Child Protection Unit. The meeting is set to discuss an action plan on how to implement the recommendations listed in the report. “Minister Lawrence also said that her Ministry will continue to work closely with the family members of the two boys to ensure that they can “pick up and move on in their life” despite the terrible loss they have suffered,” the statement said.
It added that McGregor assured that the Guyana Fire Service is doing everything in its power to ensure that all public buildings are safe and adhere to the safety guidelines.
The statement added that Algernon said that she sought to provide much needed recommendations that would see the implementation of necessary mechanism and systems that would prevent such an occurrence from repeating itself.
At a press conference after the fire, the Ministry of Social Protection said it was taking full responsibility of the incident and would cover all expenses of the funeral. The two boys were among three other siblings that were taken from their parents, Sonia and Leon George, after there were reports of abuse and neglect.
