KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is encouraging homeowners and business operators to install power monitoring devices to ensure electrical safety during the Christmas holidays.

This urging comes from JFB Deputy Commissioner, Sean Martin, who was speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s head office in Kingston, where several safety tips were shared for the Yuletide season.

Martin, who is also the officer in charge of fire safety and prevention, pointed out that a significant number of offices and commercial facilities traditionally string up Christmas lights as part of their holiday décor.
He highlighted, however, that the lights are often left on during the nights and over the weekends.

“We are encouraging, where this is the case, [that] you put power monitoring devices on these decorations so that they can monitor your power supply, and if there is any fluctuation or variation, [the device] will shut it down,” Martin said, while emphasising the importance of safety.

He further advised homeowners to install smart battery-operated smoke detectors in their houses and to have these tested regularly to ensure functionality.

Martin said that these devices can be linked to camera systems, Google Home or Alexa for real-time notifications.

“These detectors are the monitoring devices for your home during this particular period. While we encourage you to unplug your lights when you are leaving, most persons don’t. So these devices will act as a means of you monitoring what is happening within your space when you are not there,” he said.

-JIS