Fire officer injured after falling out fire tender
Written by Clint Chan Tack on December 5, 2024
A fire officer was injured when he fell out of the fire tender he was in near the Siparia Market on December 5.
According to reports, the officer was part of a a crew that was proceeding to a Santa Claus request in a water tender.
In the vicinity of the market, a door opened and the officer fell out of the tender.
He was taken to the Siparia Health Facility where he was treated for minor injuries and discharged.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, acting Chief Fire Officer Andy Hutchinson and members of the Fire Officers Association were unavailable for comment.
Investigations are ongoing.
There were other safety incidents with fire officers this year.
In January, association president Keone Guy said nine officers have been injured in two weeks due to faulty equipment.
In one incident happened, two officers were injured while responding to a fire on Observatory Street, Port of Spain
The metal arm supporting the basket in which they were working collapsed and came into contact with itself.
One officer fractured his leg while the other suffered chest injuries.
Guy said a preliminary investigation has determined that the collapse stemmed from “some form of mechanical failure” but a full investigation still needs to be done.
He said the concern is growing as this was just one of several incidents in the past two weeks that resulted in fire officers being hospitalised.
“We’ve had more than nine officers who have had to be transported to hospital as a result of injuries while in the use of fire service equipment. Six of those officers were transported to hospital after an accident in the southern division and that was on account to some known defects in a vehicle.”
Guy was confident the accidents were because of poor maintenance.
“The report from our officers is that it was faulty equipment, and I will stand on that as I have much confidence in their reporting and their ability to check the equipment.”
In a statement in January, the Fire Service said the safety and welfare of its officers is its first priority.
In May. a female fire officer threatened legal action against the Stat after she was injured while inspecting and testing a wooden ladder during a training exercise at Fire Service Headquarters in Port of Spain in January.
Speaking in Parliament on April 12, Hinds said he had no information to suggest that wooden ladders commissioned by the fire service in March 2020 were unsafe for use.
He also said he had no information to suggest the ladders breached any part of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
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