The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Once again I would ask you to bear with me and publish my thoughts, this time on our public services as they relate to fire control. I would like to make this an open letter to Chief Fireman EVANS.

Beginning Friday, February 17th, at about 2.30pm my son, Dana, and I worked really hard trying to suppress a bush fire that threatened our property and the BEC lines near Milo Butler Highway and the dump. Using our tractors, we managed to open a firebreak and create new ones to prevent it from coming our way. We created roadway access and I called 919, BEC and the fire department. The impression I got was none of them could care less. I was on the telephone for over a half hour before I spoke to a fireman.

The process included being given telephone numbers to call that no one answered; one time the man claimed I should not have the number, as it was private, one simply hung up.

Another finally admitted that this was the number and had me wait for about five minutes for someone to come to the phone. The fire guy told me they were monitoring it. I told him they could out it with one truck of water as we had isolated the flames but needed water to douse some hot spots. I let him know that we even went as far as to truck quarry fill to make their route passable and to quell some of the hot spots.

The primary problem is that because this is a “BUSH FIRE” the fire department does not give it a high priority and they monitor them to ensure they do not damage developed property. This is reasonable enough, but when it is actually threatening property such as the high tension poles belonging to BEC then you would think someone in the fire department would be interested to at least visit the scene in person. I was on the scene for over five hours and was on the telephone on numerous occasions attempting to bring them up to date on the matter. After I concluded that the fire was under control, my son and I used our equipment to clear the bush from around the electricity poles that were under threat. I have seen them burn down in the past with the resulting electrical outages, as they comprise the main feed between Clifton Pier and Big Pond stations.

The saying “where there’s smoke there’s fire” wasn’t coined to speak to this matter but it brings to mind the fact that smoke is considered by most fire experts to be the real killer most times in fires. This is because it robs us of our ability to breath and smothers people. I add that it also slowly kills us when it is allowed to fester in our atmosphere such as it has been doing from the dump fires and now this rather extensive smoke presence that has resulted from the Fire Department “monitoring it” rather than examining options and putting it out quickly and sparing us a slow painful smoky death.

I have no confidence in our public services and feel I am being robbed when I pay my taxes. My Fire Department certainly isn’t appropriately interested in my safety.

SIMON RODEHN

Harold Road,

New Providence.