Chief fire officer Errol Maynard says while the Barbados Fire Service cannot charge anyone for non-compliance with fire standards, it can still close a business until it is up to scratch.
“As it stands, I don’t think by law there is a fine as that part of the legislation needs to be adjusted. If something does happen, the fire service does have the authority to stop business for the time being until it is rectified. You can also be put in court with the assistance of the Chief Labour Officer, and then you can be fined through a court of summary jurisdiction,” he said.
Maynard was speaking to the media after he and a contingent of fire officers visited several businesses in and around Speightstown, St Peter, to examine compliance of rules and regulations of fire safety. It was one of the activities for Fire And Life-Safety Week, being held under the theme The Sound Of Fire Safety.
The walk-through did not discover many breaches of the country’s fire compliance codes.
“We’re not here really to penalise anyone, but what we will be doing is working with them to ensure they become compliant as much as possible. Those who are not compliant, we will work with them till they become compliant and those who are, we will reissue their certificates as usual,” he explained. (RA)
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