MORE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS and smoke detectors are cropping up in Barbadian homes these days – but some may just be useless appendages.
Some smoke detectors are just “put down” and not installed and there’s a chance that the fire extinguisher may need recharging.
Fire prevention officer Tony Scantlebury raised these concerns yesterday when the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) took part in a World Telecommunication And Information Society Day exhibition in Heroes Square, The City.
“Some people say they have fire extinguishers, but they don’t know how to use them,” he told the MIDWEEK NATION. “But if you have an extinguisher for a number of years, it may not be in working condition; you may need to have it recharged.”
Scantlebury said it was good that people were also buying smoke detectors, but some who visited the BFS’ booth admitted that the devices had not been installed and were “lying around somewhere”.
“I encouraged them to have those devices installed as soon as possible because they are a first line of defence against fires,” he remarked. “Like the small extinguishers, they are not expensive and can save homeowners thousands of dollars that even a small fire can cause.”
BFS officers also briefed several people attending the exhibition on the correct use of fire blankets and extinguishers.
They also carried out a public relations exercise. “Many people don’t seem to know it, but we do a lot more than put out fires,” Scantlebury said.
“We are also a major rescue service.”
World Telecommunication And Information Society Day is aimed at helping raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies can bring to societies and economies, as well as highlighting ways to bridge the digital divide.
May 17 marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union. (TY)
