A faulty fire alarm in the Al Barrack building is stretching the resources of the Barbados Fire Service.
The latest “fake alarm” came yesterday, when the hundreds of employees who work inside the Warrens, St Michael building were forced outside after the alarm went off just after 11 a.m.
Just over an hour later, the workers were given the all-clear to return inside following a thorough check of the building by fire officials.
During that check it was determined that the fire alarm had malfunctioned once again.
Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard said while he had not yet received a report on yesterday’s incident, it had been brought to his attention that the fire alarm had been going off without cause.
And while he didn’t want to describe the reoccurring problem as “a humbug”, he said it was consumingthe Fire Service’s valuable resources.
“It is a maintenance concern which needs to be addressed because whenever that alarm goes off we have to respond, and that means resources are being expended. We can only determine it is safe after it has been checked,” Maynard said.
Two fire tenders and seven fire officers, headed by Station Officer Anthony King from its Probyn Street headquarters, responded to the call.
The Al Barrack building houses various Government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Social Care, Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Barbados Tourism Product Authority, the HIV/AIDS Commission and a branch of Republic Bank.
When a team from the Saturday Sun arrived just before noon, fire officials had already arrivedand cordoned off the area.
Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett; Minister of Labour Esther Byer-Suckoo and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Patrick Todd were seen speaking to officials.
Although Fire Prevention Officer Natasha Forde admitted to the hundreds gathered in the parking lot that a malfunctioning alarm was at the root of the problem, she expressed disappointment at the behaviour of some of the workers.
“I am disappointed in some of the employees here today. I know that there has been a challenge with the alarm going off constantly, but that is no reason why fire officers had to get people from their desk who were playing solitaire.
“Whenever you hear these alarms we want you to act accordingly because you can never know when there is actually going to be a fire,” Forde explained.
Maynard also agreed with his junior colleague, saying that persons should not take the risk by determining it was safe to stay inside.
“You have to remember that you don’t know when it is going to be for real. We wouldn’t want peopleto ignore the alarm at any time,” he added.
A worker who asked not to be identified said she had been standing outside for close to an hour.
She said while this was the first time for the year the alarm had sounded, it had happened “several times” last year.
“I think it would be in everyone’s best interest if the alarm is fixed. It would save the Fire Service having to come down here all the time for no reason and it would also allow us to be more productive because when this happens a lot of time is lost,” she said. (RB)