ACROSS JAMAICA…ACROSS JAMAICA…
Fire Awareness Week ends today
SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Activities marking ‘Fire Awareness Week’ in Westmoreland end today.
The activities, which got underway on October 27, started with an open day ceremony at Independence Park in Savanna-la-Mar. Marching bands and other uniformed groups participated in
These activities were aimed at sensitising residents of the parish about fire prevention techniques and the responsible management of fires. They were held under the theme – ‘Fire Drills: The Great Escape.’
Personnel from the Westmoreland Fire Division gave fire safety talks, and there were demonstrations in fire drills and rescue techniques, in which hundreds of students, residents and representatives from businesses entities participated.
Representatives from the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) were also on hand to do blood pressure and sugar checks, in addition to demonstrations in trauma illness cases.
… But authorities concerned about fires in Westmoreland
SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — The Fire Prevention Division of the Westmoreland Fire Department has raised concerns about the low level of responsiveness to fire prevention programmes, as too many fires have been reported in the parish since the start of the year.
Beverly Reid, district officer at the Savanna-la-Mar Fire Station, said that despite the department conducting 56 lectures, 17 drills, and 21 demonstrations on the use of fire extinguishers and the distribution of nearly 1,000 pamphlets since the start of the year, fires continue to occur in the parish.
She told JIS News that a total of 52 houses and business places with a value of $76 million have been destroyed since January, with three elderly persons and one infant loosing their lives. In addition, hundreds of persons have been left homeless.
“Since 1995, the Westmoreland Fire Prevention Unit has been consistent in carrying out various education programmes, but people are still not fire-conscious. Citizens seem not too enthused to take time to involve themselves in these educational opportunities, hence when a fire breaks out, they panic, not knowing what to do,” Reid said.
District officer Reid said that as part of activities to observe ‘Fire Awareness Week’ recently, the public was invited to an open day, where fire safety prevention measures were demonstrated. The event was poorly supported.
“On that very day when we make provisions for people to be sensitised on managing fires, an elderly person was burnt to death in the town of Savanna-la-Mar. This fire started as a result of carelessness on the part of certain persons, and could have been averted,” she stated.
York Castle wins Heritage Debate Competition
OCHO RIOS, St Ann — York Castle High School has emerged winner in the Ocho Rios Region of the Jamaican Information Service (JIS) Heritage Debate Competition, held at the Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St Ann, recently.
York Castle won with 272.5 points, while the three other schools, Marcus Garvey Technical High, St Hilda’s and Ferncourt High received 259.5, 258.5 and 255 points, respectively.
The moot of the debate was — ‘Be it resolved that the work and teachings of National Hero Marcus Garvey was critical to the building of modern Jamaica’.
York Castle High and members of the team, Donette Brown, Zurie Johnson and Paul Cox walked away with the JIS Heritage Trophy and three miniature replicas, as well as a $5,000 book voucher each, donated by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo).
Marcus Garvey Technical High won a trophy donated by Brown’s Town Pharmacy, as well as three replicas, donated by the Kiwanis Club of the Garden Parish, and three calculators from Simmonds Enterprises in Ocho Rios.
Zurie Johnson from York Castle High was adjudged the ‘Best Speaker’ in the debate. He was presented with a book on Garveyism, donated by the Great House Pharmacy in Ocho Rios.
Group condemns targeting of children
KINGSTON — Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) has condemned the recent targeting of children in violent criminal activities involving what it said were feuds and vengeance killings in the Corporate Area.
According to YOU executive director, Georgia Scott, “Our organisation of course condemns murder and other violent acts perpetrated on any human being of any age. However, it is even more inconceivable that any Jamaican could single out innocent children to be slaughtered as pawns in this unholy war in our besieged communities.
Said a release from the organisation: “We would like to remind all right thinking adults in this country that there is a lot that we can do. We can support the police. We can respect the courts and co-operate with the justice system. We can withhold our support those involved in illegal activities. We can refuse assistance offered to us by those known we know are criminals.”