Fire prevention week was celebrated from October 5th to 11th. The theme was, “It’s better being safe with the Fire Prevention in place.”
The Fire Service is a profession we should all respect. Firefighters often put themselves at risk to save lives and buildings. Too often fires have ravaged buildings in our country, but without the intervention of firefighters, the devastation would be greater. Firefighters in Guyana are not without criticism, however. Too often they have arrived at fires ill-prepared, and this would have led to fires causing more damage than they should have.
As individuals, we should put mechanisms in place to prevent fires. We have seen too many electrical fires caused by faulty wiring or defective household appliances. Too many lives have been lost in Guyana’s fires.
Alarmingly, there have been several fires over the last few weeks:
• On September 26th a house burned down in Warren Village, Berbice, leaving a man homeless.
• On September 29th there was a fire in Charlestown when an apartment went up in flames and a father and son were left homeless.
• On October 2nd a fire burned not only Brickdam Police Station but also a nearby business.
• On October 3rd there was a fire in Kwakwani Park, Region Ten, where the intoxicated occupant had to be pulled from the blaze.
• On October 12th there was a fire at a tenement yard at Charlotte and Camp streets.
• On October 16th there was a fire at Agriculture Road, Triumph, on the East Coast of Demerara, which destroyed a house and a processing plant.
• On October 16th there was a fire in Bartica and a pensioner was burned to death.
• On October 17th a house was burnt in Moco Moco, Region Nine and the occupants lost everything.
• On October 19th there was a fire on a vessel at Gafoors Complex Land of Canaan.
Some were the result of arson, some were electrical in origin, and some were of unknown origin and unfortunately a life was lost. Fire symbolizes purification and cleansing, but also brings destruction and death. There are four stages of fire.
The incipient is the stage immediately after ignition. Growth is the stage where the fire has been established and is generating enough of its own heat. Fully developed is when the fire is at its hottest point. Decay is when the fire runs out of oxygen and fuel to sustain itself.
Do we just count all the recent fires as coincidences, or do we ponder on what it could mean for our country? The smoke alarms intended to warn us have been going off for decades. We have been given opportunities to unite and bridge the political divide. But have we ignored them? Could the fires be an omen for greater troubles ahead or could they be a sign that we are experiencing a period of purification and cleansing to let go of the baggage of the past and rise like the phoenix from the ashes? Will the decay in fact result in a new beginning?
We can also apply the four stages of fire to the crisis we are experiencing in our world due to the pandemic. COVID -19 restrictions have sparked protests across the world and there are many people who were previously overlooked that have now decided to use their voices out of frustration. Like the incipient phase of the fire, they are seeking to grow and established themselves and to be recognized as valued, in charge of their own destiny and not slaves to a system of control. When we look at the number of protests around our country, we can also recognize such people.
Society continues to advance. Technological, and scientific advancements have placed man in a position where knowledge is accessible to all, and we are more connected now than we ever were in history. There are those in our society who are growing. Those who have found the key to success and are on the path to generating wealth. In oil rich Guyana the great promise of wealth sparkles in the eyes of a few who have already tasted the sweet of what wealth can bring, but fewer out of the few are Guyanese.
With all our advancements are we at the zenith of development on this planet? Perhaps not for soon cars may fly or artificial intelligence will replace humans and trips to space will be like vacationing around the world. There are those who are at the pinnacle of their success. Those who can appear like giants to the ordinary man in our society because of their wealth and success.
But more than ever perhaps, are we seeing the decay in our societies? For many not only a decay in morality, but Earth 2021 seems like on the edge of an apocalypse despite all our advancements. Despite our scientific advancements, people are still sick and dying from diseases for which no cures have been developed. Will Earth be destroyed by all stages of fire simultaneously?
Brickdam Police Station burned on October 2nd. This incident is an indication of the decline of law and order in our country. The fact that the fire was arson is evidence of the decline. Without fear of prosecution or conviction, white- and blue-collar criminals boldly walk around Guyana.
Every week we read about murders and robberies. Our young men are dying at the hands of each other and the police. There needs to be intervention for Guyana’s youth, who believe that crime is the answer. There are communities that are neglected in this country where young people feel hopeless or that the only way out is crime. If something is not done urgently, our young people, especially our young men will continue to be at risk and sadly continue to kill each other. The fires will remain at the stage of growth, and they will continue to destroy not only themselves but others. Every at-risk community needs programmes and mentors that will influence young people to believe in themselves and avoid the path of criminality.
There are also too many drugs in our communities. Young people want to escape the reality because often it is too harsh. The breakdown of the family and community is evident. These are fires that have been at the stage of fully developed for far too long and little attempts to extinguish them.
Every week people are dying in road accidents. Accusations of corruption in all aspects of our society are spoken and written about regularly. We ignored our smoke alarms for too long, and this is where we are. When the smoke clears from this long period of living in this inferno, what will be left of us? Would we have risen from the ashes to be stronger, or would we have been destroyed?.
