SUPERINTENDENT, Kingston and St Andrew Fire Service, Julian Davis-Buckle is encouraging the public to use the emergency numbers of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) in the event of an emergency.

The direct lines for the JFB in Kingston are (876) 922-2121 or (876) 922-2122. The switchboard number for the JFB in Kingston is (876) 922-2127- 9. Individuals are also advised to dial 110 for fire and ambulance emergencies.

“This is the general line. People who complain about credit…if you don’t have credit, call 110,” she said in an interview with JIS News.

Superintendent Davis-Buckle is calling on members of the public to use the JFB’s direct lines rather than calling 119 for assistance, as this saves valuable time.

“One of the things we stress is that we be alerted as early as possible, but because people don’t know our numbers they can’t call us straight, so they call 119 and they call all around before they actually get to us, and that is time consumed,” she said.

To avoid this, Davis-Buckle is encouraging individuals to programme the JFB emergency numbers into their phones to facilitate a quick response time in case of a fire emergency.

“Those are the direct fire lines. If you call those, immediately you are answered on one ring. These are some of the things that affect our response time,” she said.

“Once they call that number and give the location, the dispatcher will know which station is closest to them and even know if they need more than one unit, so more than one station would turn up at the same time. The arrival time of everybody would be in sync, so we wouldn’t have to be on the scene and call for help,” Superintendent Davis-Buckle said.

With children on summer break, she is imploring parents to be vigilant regarding their activities.

“For the holiday season, it is important that parents not leave children unattended. It is tempting to just run down the road and leave a smaller one with a baby. It is not advisable. Make sure you have a responsible adult looking after them at all times,” the JFB official advised

“Know where they are playing and what they are playing. You have to be vigilant. We want to focus on the children for the summer…A lot of house fires are started because of carelessness,” she said.

Davis-Buckle is imploring parents to ensure that lighters and matches are kept well out of the reach of children and that play activities be taken outdoors, rather than inside. She is also recommending that guardians conduct regular checks on children to ensure they are not playing with hazardous materials.

Once it is discovered that a fire has broken out, the JFB superintendent said, individuals should evacuate buildings immediately.

“Once you identify a fire, get out of the building— and when you do, stay out. Do not go outside and remember you have something inside and go back in. No, stay out. Because if you go in you might not be able to get back out,” she warned.

Davis-Buckle also advised that persons store keys in one central location to make it easier to quickly locate them and exit the building in the event of a fire emergency. Also, she warns against keeping keys in bunches.

“The key for the front door must be separate and apart from the other — colour-code if you must. Have fire safety talks with your families to prepare them, so in the event of a fire they will be able to act appropriately,” she said.