Newly installed station officer at the San Pedro Fire Department, Orin Smith, has partnered with stakeholders on the island to conduct a fire safety awareness fair at the Honourable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex. The fair will be held on Friday, October 14th, at the Saca Chispas field and will include presentations from the fire department. Residents will also be able to acquire fire extinguishers at discounted prices, and there will be training to learn how to use them.
Smith explained the project is aimed at the residential sector because most fire casualties (fatalities) occur in private residences. Some factors involve how homes are built, the material used, and the lack of essential features, such as emergency exits. At the fair planned for next Friday, the presentations will explain to attendees what some of the best practices are when caught in a house fire and will also teach survival skills. There will be demonstrations on how to tackle fires, and the public will be allowed to practice some of the skills shared at the event by putting out controlled fires under supervision. Different stations will demonstrate how to approach and try to extinguish a fire.
The event is set to start at 9:30AM, and the San Pedro Fire Department hopes that many residents come out to support the activity and take advantage of the products available for their safety. There will be information and availability of other products, such as smoke detectors which are very important in detecting a fire before it gets out of control. Smith said that with the assistance of the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC), there would be arrangements to have food booths, so those visiting don’t need to worry about eating throughout the day. San Pedranos are also asked to tune in to their local radio station for a chance to win prizes such as smoke detectors on Wednesday, two days before the fair.
Smith and his team are excited about this project and hope for a good response from the island citizens. The island department looks forward to engaging islanders on safety measures, training, and hopefully attracting volunteers. The island department has a small staff, and having citizens in the community trained in firefighting, among other needs, can make a big difference in the case of an emergency.
Smith and his team thank those businesses that have come forward to support this first fair such as FCS Aluminum, the distributors of Fabrigas products such as fire extinguishers. Special acknowledgment goes out to these businesses for sponsoring the refueling of the fire extinguishers to be used at the event. They include Bowen, Bowen, Tropic Air, Maya Island Air, San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, Ocean Ferry, and the SPTC.
