January 2004 to May 2010 Statistics
PREVENTING FIRES IS OUR BUSINESS
The Fire Prevention Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade is charged with the responsibility to educate the public on fire safety, facilitate the construction of buildings to international fire safety standards and enforcing existing fire safety regulations.
A team of highly trained fire inspectors provide a network that interacts with households, businesses, schools and institutions islandwide, as part of our strategy to reduce instances of fires through prevention.
Through effective liaison with local government, environmental and building regulatory agencies we provide up to date information to ensure your leisure and business activities are conducted safely.
The Division stands ready to consult with you and provide advice on general fire safety, escape drills and the selection and placement of first aid firefighting equipment.
Assistant Commissioner Samuel McIntosh has been the Chief Fire Prevention Officer since September 2007 with responsibility for the Fire Prevention & Public Relations Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade.
Before his promotion to the top job as Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Mr. McIntosh was promoted to the rank of Senior Deputy Superintendent and appointed Divisional Head; St. Ann Division, he was then transferred from St. Ann to Kingston and took up duties as Deputy Chief Fire Prevention Officer; he held this office for two (2) years, 2005-2007 before ascending to the helm of this elite Division as the Chief Fire Prevention Officer, the highest office with the Fire Prevention and Public Relations Division.
A thirty three (33) year veteran of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Mr. McIntosh he holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Sector Senior Management from the Management Institute for National Development (M.I.N.D.) and a certificate in Supervising Management from the U.W.I. of Continuing Studies.
This unit is responsible for conducting lectures, demonstrations and exhibitions through interactive presentations as well as audio visual means. By extension the education unit is responsible for the design of informative literature and displays that caters for all age groups. They make regular visits to schools, institutions and businesses.
Planning, Research and Development Unit
The research and development unit revises acts, regulations and codes and makes recommendations for amendments where necessary. This unit also collects statistics on fires on a monthly basis, in each geographic division and compares the results with former periods to evaluate the effects of fire prevention activities as well as to identify trends in the occurrence of incidents. This information is channeled into operational pre-planning.
This section reviews buildings and sub-division plans submitted by the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation and parish councils to ensure adherence to acceptable fire prevention standards. That is to say the number of escape routes, number of exits, self-closing doors and placement of fixed installation are clearly marked onto building plans.
Inspection and Enforcement Unit
Inspects premises and submit reports to the section for action. This unit makes recommendations on safety equipment and measures to be implemented in businesses and institutions.
Investigation Unit
Collects, sorts and analyzes information gathered at fires to establish the origin of these fires in an attempt to detect deliberate setting of these fires or to reveal unsafe practices that may have contributed to their origin.
Permit & Certification
Legislation requires that certain types of premises especially those for use by the general public receive certification from the Jamaica Fire Brigade before they can legally operate.
These premises include hotels, guest houses, places of amusement e.g. cinemas and theatres, nigh clubs, amusement parks, sporting arenas, fuel and other service installations that maintain storage of flammables and chemicals. The Fire Prevention Division will guide you through the process for this necessary certification.
The division also provides training for the business community who wish to have members of their staff trained as fire wardens or in basic fire safety and the use of first aid firefighting equipment.
The Fire Prevention Division is designed to stop fires from occurring and if they do, to minimize their spread and effects. It therefore:-
• Provides all year round education which is stepped up at specific periods of the year, through special fire prevention programmes.
• Ensures good building design and construction that includes effective fire protection systems.
• Responds to after inspection reports for correction of hazards and compliance.
The Fire Prevention and Public Relations Division, in 2008 launched its first ever official community outreach program under the theme “Awareness, the key to a fire safe community”.
The aim is to:
• Broaden Community Fire safety awareness
• Reduce the instances of death or injuries caused by fires
• Increase the number of smoke detectors installed in homes
• Develop a sustained public fire safety education program
• Get communities more actively involved in fire protection efforts
This outreach program is scheduled to run for three (3) years ending in 2010 after which an assessment will be made to measure the gains and to plan strategies for the future.
The community outreach program also coincides with the annual “Fire Safety Awareness Week”, which is a national event recognized in the final week of October each year. The week comprises of a number of events, some of which are:
Classification of Fires
Once the fire has been located and the burning material has been identified, a decision must be taken as to the method of extinguishing the fire. This will depend on:
(i). the nature of the materials involved, and
(ii). the size and intensity of the fire.
In the United Kingdom fires in the past have been unofficially classified into four types, viz, A.B.C. and M, denoting carbonaceous fires, flammable liquid fires, electrical fires and metal fires.
Agreement has now been reached between European nations on a new classification, which forms the subject of B.S. 4547: 1970, and is as follows:
CLASS ‘A’
These are fires involving solid materials normally of organic nature (compound of carbon), in which combustion normally takes place with the formation of glowing embers.
Class A fires are the most common and the most effective extinguishing agent for them is generally water in the form of a jet or spray.
CLASS ‘B’
These are fires involving liquids or liquefied solids. For the purpose of choosing effective extinguishing agents, flammable liquids may be divided into two groups:
(i) those that are miscible with water;
(ii). those that are immiscible with water.
Depending on (i) and (ii) above, the extinguishing agents include water, foam, vaporising liquids, carbon dioxide and dry powders.
CLASS ‘C’
These are fires involving gases or liquefied gases in the form of spray e.g. methane, propane, butane, etc. Water in the form of spray is generally used to cool the containers, and foam can be used to control fires involving shallow liquid spills.
CLASS ‘D’
These are fires involving metals. Extinguishing agents containing water are ineffective and even dangerous for these special dry powders or dry sand and soda ash are normally suitable.
ELECTRICAL FIRES:
It is not considered, according to present day ideas, that these fires constitutes a class, since any fire involving, or started by electrical equipment, must, in fact, be a fire of Class A, B, C, or D. The normal procedure in such circumstances is to cut off the electricity and use an extinguishing method appropriate to what is burning. Only when this cannot be done with certainty will special extinguishing agents be required which are non-conductors of electricity and non-damaging to equipment, and these include vaporising liquids, carbon dioxide and dry powders.
EXTINGUISHING MEDIA USED
The Fire Brigade uses various extinguishing media. The Fire Prevention Division, in its education program spends a lot of time promoting and encouraging the use of the various first aid firefighting equipment installed in the premises. The fire extinguisher is one such equipment. There is a simple four (4) letter acronym we use to give the complete usage of same in a simple easy to understand term. This acronym is:
P- PULL: pull the safety pin
A- AIM: aim the nozzle or horn at the base of the fire
S- SQUEEZE: squeeze carrying handle and discharge lever together
S- SWEEP: sweep from side to side
1. A National church service.
2. Health fair and concert.
3. Outside broadcasts, interviews among other radio, television and printed media programmes.
4. Display set up at various fire stations, plazas, and other suitable venues
.
5. Fire safety competition (quizzes, poems, art and role play). This is carried out among various school groups.
6. Community visits and various presentations to different groups.
7. Tour of fire stations by school and other organizations
8. Culmination with a Firefighters’ Ball.
HOW TO PREVENT FIRES • Do not run extension cords or other electrical cords under rugs or behind furniture where they can be stepped on, chafed or pinched. • Do not allow children to play with matches, lighters, candles among other items that may and can start or contribute to a fire. • Do not use oil, gasoline or kerosene to revive fires. • Do not smoke in bed; falling asleep with a lighted cigarette can be dangerous; be sure to put out the cigarette before retiring to bed. IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE • Sound the alarm and call the Fire Brigade, no matter how small the fire appears to be. • Leave the area quickly, closing doors as you go to help contain the fire and smoke. • If you must escape through smoke, crawl low. • Test doors before you open them. FOR CHILDREN • Secure electrical plugs and keep appliances away from children • Never play with candles. Put out naked flames before going to bed. • If your clothes are on fire….STOP……DROP…..and ROLL • Don’t attempt cooking until you are taught to do so. • If you see a fire, shout fire as loudly as possible and get out of the building. FORMS USED BY THE FIRE PREVENTION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION • APPLICATION FORM FOR FIRE CERTIFICATE AND ONE DAY PERMIT
If you can safely do so, close the door of the room where the fire has started and close all other doors behind you. This will help delay the spread of smoke.
Before opening a closed door, use the back of your hand to touch it. Don't open it if it feels warm - the fire will be on the other side.
Get everyone out as quickly as possible. Don't try to pick up valuables or possessions. Make your way out as safely as possible and try not to panic.
Plan your escape route now. Don't wait until a fire starts.
Telephone the Jamaica Fire Brigade at your local Fire Station or from a neighbours house. Clearly state the address of the fire.
Never go back into your home until a fire officer has told you it is safe.
If you are prevented from getting out because of flames or smoke, close the door nearest to the fire and use towels or sheets to block any gaps. This will help stop smoke spreading into the room.
Go to the window. If the room becomes smoky, go down to floor level - it's easier to breathe because the smoke will rise upwards.
Open the window, try to attract the attention of others who can alert the fire brigade. Wait for the fire brigade, they should arrive in a matter of minutes.
If you are in immediate danger, drop cushions or bedding to the ground to break your fall from the window.
Get out feet first and lower yourself to the full length of your arms before dropping.
