MAY PEN, Clarendon — Complaining that the building’s electrical system is not up to safety standards, there is no running water and the station is infested with rats and termites, firefighters assigned to the May Pen divisional headquarters have warned that they cannot guarantee normal operations going forward.

They all asked not to be identified by name out of fear of being suspended.

“The irony is, as officers we do fire prevention and inspections and these same things we are trying to prevent in other places are happening at our base,” said one firefighter.

He was referencing a recent fire at the station.

“It is not a simple electrical power surge because it caused a fire while we were out on an emergency. If the one person who was at base wasn’t [on site], there would have been serious damage. The officer used a fire extinguisher to put it out. We have recorded the incident but to date, nothing has been done about it,” the firefighter said.

The lack of running water is one of the biggest challenges, they told the Jamaica Observer, as the nature of their jobs makes it vital for them to be able to get rid of potentially harmful substances encountered in the field. The problem has persisted for three months, they said.

“We are exposed to certain contaminants on a daily basis and sometimes we come in contact with certain carcinogens that may cause issues to our health. So decontaminating is key, no matter what the job or the emergency was. That is the national standard,” said one firefighter.

“Because we have no water, we have to use the sanitiser to rub our hands and if something else happens, we have to go out again. This is on a daily basis. During the busy season, one firefighter may have to respond to up to about 10 calls within a 24-hour period and you can’t bathe or wash you hands, nothing,” said the firefighter.

Using the toilet is a challenge as it leaks effluent from the base and they bathe outside under the darkness of night using a bucket of water from the fire truck. An overflowing manhole on the grounds does not make that task any easier, the firefighters said.

They told the Observer that their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

“We need all these issues to be addressed. We are first responders and our working conditions are poor. We are calling on senior management or the ministry to have these matters addressed. The unions visited and all the concerns were voiced and they basically told us to go back to work. At the end of the day a we a go out there go fight the fire and respond to other emergencies, but we cannot guarantee normalcy going forward until our issues are resolved,” one firefighter warned.

Commanding officer in charge of the May Pen Fire Brigade Superintendent Dennis Lyon acknowledged that there was an issue with running water at the facility but he attributed it to a parish-wide problem.

Recognising that there are frequent interruptions in the water supply, he said, three tanks were installed on the compound. One of the tanks is now out of use as it has a leak but he asserted that he has put measures in place to ensure there is always water available at the station.

“There is a water tanker at the station that is always filled and I gave instructions that once the tank is empty, the tanker should be used to refill the 400-gallon water tank on the building,” he said, adding that those instructions were being carried out.

He explained that a new water pump is to be donated to the station by custos of Clarendon William Shagoury and that is expected to alleviate the water problem within a few days.

In reference to the overflowing sewage at the facility, Lyon said this was caused by old sewer pipes that had collapsed. The issue, he said, was being addressed.

“We closed two bathrooms for two days and asked them to bear with us while the problem is being sorted out,” he said, adding that the collapsed pipes had been excavated on May 20 and new ones will be installed.

The commanding officer told the Observer that a fluctuation in the JPS supply to the building had caused the fire and the issue had been resolved.

He, however, denied claims of a rodent infestation at the facility.

“When I took over as divisional commander on June 1 last year I received complaints that there was rodent infestation and that was corrected,” he said.

“Yes, the building is infested with termites and we have brought in persons to deal with that but they said the building is too old. The management of the brigade and the ministry of local government are aware of this,” he said, promising that the second stage of the rebuilding of the May Pen Fire Station will begin in earnest in the shortest possible time.

He added that the commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade will address a staff meeting at the May Pen station on May 31. Also during the visit, custos Shagoury will hand over the promised water pump to the station.