GREEN ISLAND, Hanover — Regional fire authorities are voicing concern about their readiness to address complex fire risks expected to emerge with the increasing prevalence of electric vehicles (EVs).

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer on the side lines of the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) Conference at Princess Hotels and Resorts in Hanover on Friday, CAFC President Kenrick Hackett highlighted the urgency of preparing for EV-related emergencies.

“There’s a challenge that is growing throughout the region, the introduction of EVs (electric vehicles). So we have to look at ways how we can efficiently extinguish these fires when they come along because it’s not like the ordinary car fire that you deal with. We’re looking into getting these technologies to make our job better for us,“ said Hackett, who is also executive fire service manager for Turks and Caicos Airports Authority.

He revealed that discussions with safety technology companies began as early as last year, with promising innovations such as battery isolators now being tested. These devices can help defuse EV battery systems before they reach dangerously high temperatures, allowing for safer containment of fires.

Despite the advancements, Hackett acknowledged the financial burden of adapting to this new reality.

“Yes, it definitely will be very costly, because, as I say, we’re going into the new era. These technologies are coming up now, so it’ll be a very costly venture. But at the end of the day a cost cannot be put to lives. So once we could get these stuff ironed out, we will have to reach out to our respective departments or government to show them the way forward,” the CAFC president said.

He emphasised that their organisation focuses on prevention, taking proactive steps early to stop problems before they occur.

“We are basically fire prevention organisations. We want to prevent things from happening, so we start the groundwork now; yes, we are being proactive in our way of thinking,” Hackett told the Observer.

The CAFC, in collaboration with the Jamaica Fire Brigade hosted the CAFC 2025 Conference under the theme “Fostering Regional Collaboration for Emergency Response” from May 11-17, 2025.

This regional event brought together fire chiefs, emergency managers, and public safety stakeholders from 17 Caribbean nations for a week of strategic discussions, training sessions, and collaborative planning aimed at strengthening the region’s emergency response capabilities.

Kevin Haughton, deputy commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade and vice-president of CAFC, welcomed the opportunity that the summit provided for the sharing of knowledge.

“So one of the good things about this conference is that there’s knowledge transfer. Where we see there are areas for improvement there is the shared collaborative effort, and this is one of the things why we have conferences like these,” Haughton said.

Hackett, who lauded CAFC and the Jamaica Fire Brigade for hosting the conference, expressed similar sentiments.

“I would like to thank the CAFC, in collaboration with Jamaica Fire Brigade for hosting this very interactive and engaging conference. It gives senior leaders around the Caribbean the opportunity to bring upcoming fire supervisors to the conference where they can get knowledge and they can also share knowledge from their department because networking is important. There might be something where I would be using that could help Jamaica and definitely with Jamaica’s wealth of experience we can use a lot of information. And it goes across the region,” he noted.

Kevin Haughton, deputy commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade and vice-president of CAFC