Ainsworth Reid, acting district officer at the Annotto Bay Fire Station. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

After 13 years of bravely combating voracious flames all across the parish of St Mary, Ainsworth Reid, acting district officer at the Annotto Bay Fire Station, is now a veteran fire-fighter with many experiences of saving lives, and a number of concerns about the role of the public in times of disaster.

According to Reid, there is nothing that will ever erase the memory of his first fire.

"My first fire was tragic - not in terms of loss of life - but because of what was happening," Reid said, lowering his voice as though he was reliving the depressing scene.

What had made Reid's first fire so memorable, he explained, was the sheer awe of standing before a building on fire in addition to his personal knowledge of the victim.

First fire

"A lady was having a wedding and her house actually burned down while she was at the reception, and it was someone that I knew from my childhood days, so it was really sad," Reid said.

When he arrived at the building, Reid was in a daze. All around, his senior colleagues ran quickly towards the fire as though it was nothing new.

Reid, however, was terrified.

"It's like you're frightened, no matter what training you go on, you're not going to be prepared for a building on fire."

"Yu a seh to yuself: 'a whe dem a go? Dem nuh feel this yah heat yah?' Your first heat - mi nuh think yu feel nuh more heat like that." Reid shared.

Thirteen years into the service, Reid is now in love with his job. However, he has a number of concerns, particularly about the behaviour of the public in relation to the fire brigade.

A major problem with the public, Reid argued, is the refusal of motorists to yield to the fire truck when the sirens are activated, and the unwise impulse of some to try and outrun it.

Reid explained that though those with fast cars might succeed, in fact, the road might not always be clear and they might not be able to pass through road construction sites and stop lights, obstacles through which the fire truck would've been allowed free access.

Prank calls

Another issue that rubs Reid the wrong way is the overwhelming number of false or prank calls the brigade receives. "It's annoying, it's very annoying," he argued.

Just this year, Reid said, there was an accident with five people in which two died. Immediately preceding the accident, the Port Maria fire crew, where he was based, received a false call to Hamilton Mountain, a long journey with exceedingly bad roads. It was on the way back from Hamilton Mountain, that the crew received the call about the accident.

"If we were at the station, that journey would've taken us less than 5 minutes. It ended up taking us around 20 minutes or thereabout."

"Probably, if we had not received that false call, we could've taken out those (injured) persons. We could've reached on time, and we are better equipped to take out a casualty with less damage to any vital organs," explained Reid, who is also a trained emergency medical technician.

Reid warns against citizens trying to extinguish fires themselves and advises that, as soon as there is a fire, the fire brigade should be alerted.

Reid explained: "Some people actually try put out the fire before them call the brigade. Your building ketch a fire, yuh spend 20 minutes, you and yuh son and yuh neighbour and whoever a try throw wata and nuhbody nuh call the brigade all now."

Word of advice

One word of advice from the veteran fireman is that citizens should know the straight-line for the fire station that is closest to them.

He went on to explain that calls to the toll-free number go to a switchboard, where the operator may not immediately know unfamiliar communities.

On the other hand, Reid explained, the fire station in a community will be more aware, and the call will give the firefighters an opportunity to prepare themselves effectively for whatever they will encounter.

andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com