Tancoo: Underfunding of T&T Fire Service is a despicable act

Recent revelations by the head of the Fire Service Association, Mr. Keone Guy that fire officers are severely under-resourced, is a stinging indictment of total failure against the line Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley as head of the National Security Council. This was the view expressed by UNC Chairman and Oropouche West MP Dave Tancoo as he lamented the under-resourced and bastardized state of Trinidad and Tobago’s Fire Service under the Rowley-led PNM.

Tancoo stated, “It must be a matter of national concern that fire officers do not have adequate fire tenders, breathing apparatus and hydraulic equipment. To learn that many fire stations are unable to respond to a fire because of these deficiencies is alarming to say the least. What is even more alarming is the complete lack of concern by Hinds and Rowley.”

MP Tancoo reiterated that over the past nine years fire officers have repeatedly raised these issues in public and directly with the Government. He noted that, “The complete failure to have these basic requirements has compromised the ability of fire officers to do their jobs, but also puts the very lives of these officers in jeopardy. Hinds knows this. Rowley knows this. Imbert knows this. So why then is the Fire Service still so badly starved of resources? The government is treating this essential service as a bastard child, and by extension it is deliberately putting citizens’ lives at risk.”

Hinds was famously reported as saying that his job as Minister was not to make people feel safe but to ensure that the necessary resources are being provided to the protective services. However, according to Tancoo, even on this, Hinds is a comprehensive failure.

The Opposition MP said that, “Having already taken away the responsibility of the Police Service from Hinds, it is not enough now to remove the Fire Service and the Prison Service – as they too have challenges from under Hinds’ purview. It is an insult to the population of Trinidad and Tobago for the Prime Minister to continue to support Hinds’ colossal incompetence.

The Minister of Finance must also explain why the Fire Service has been deliberately underfunded and under resourced. Having actively facilitated the deterioration of the Fire Service to this abysmal low, it is obvious that the Government does not care about the welfare and safety of the members of the Fire Service or the citizens who depend on this service in times of crisis. These officers, and we, the people can expect no improvement under this government. The solution is obvious.”