CIFS reminds people they’re not fire-fighters
(CNS): The Cayman islands Fire Service is urging people to stay out of the way of major fires and call 911, after a brush blaze ignited near the old Hyatt building off the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on Tuesday and people were videoed trying to put it out with buckets of water. What was a substantial wild fire in the trees and hedges around the partly-demolished old hotel started sometime in the afternoon. Fire crews arrived at the site before 4:30pm and safely put it out.
But the fire service raised concerns after officers saw video footage of the fire prior to their arrival showing members of the public attempting to put the fire out and vehicles passing dangerously close to the blaze.
CIFS said residents, businesses and visitors to the Cayman Islands should follow the code when they see a fire: Get Out, Stay Out and dial 911 requesting fire and rescue. This includes outside wildfires, where people should move to a safe distance.
CIFS said the public should only tackle small undeveloped fires where it is safe to do so with an appropriate fire extinguisher to prevent things from escalating, but people should still call 911 to report the fire as a matter of urgency.
“Tackling larger fires with no training, the wrong equipment or wrong extinguishing agent can lead to serious injuries or a fire-related fatality and should be avoided in the interest of public safety,” CIFS added.
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Category: Local News
According to the last review of CIFS by the UK authorities not sure you can say they are firefighters either.
There was a lady police officer on the scene blocking the left lane nearest the fire. Fire was well developed, it was after 4.30 pm and I did not see members of the public. I would have thought that she would have stayed on the scene and kept the public away.
LOL I saw the video of a guy walking over with a bin full of water… Like wth is that supposed to accomplish? LMAO
People need to be mindful of their cigarette butts. It is really dry right now and I suspect this is the cause of a lot of these fires.
LOL Uk building standards better. Please. The UK have 500 years old buildings still in existance and being used. These buildings were built with poor quality materials before electricity was even invented. They are not safer. The buildings in the Cayman Islands are over all superior. Do you remember the apartment block that caught fire and killed almost a hundred people about two years ago in London. Safer please.
Your point is what exactly? This was a building built in Cayman to Cayman standards. But rather overshadowed by the fact a) it’s completely derelict – down to its structural skeleton, so fire standards not really relevant and b) the fire wasn’t even in the building but the bush. May as well say the arguments over the new Lacovia building are because of UK building regulations – about as relevant.
Same warning as in the UK – Get out, stay out, call us out. Not smart to try and tackle a fire without the proper protective and firefighting equipment – it will kill you. Consider this – if you sustain major burns the nearest suitable trauma unit is a long way away.
Response times and building standards tend to be better in the UK. Many significant fires have been prevented, and lives saved, by individuals in Cayman taking action rather than waiting for professionals. And yes, we know not to pee on an electrical fire, or throw water on a gasoline fire.
Building standards better in the UK!?!? Hahahahahaha.
Go look in Scranton, or other depressed areas and tell me those ramshackle plywood contraptions would be allowed to exist anywhere in the UK. They would not.
I quite agree. Many a house has been saved by members of the public. Waiting for the firemen to finish their dominoes or “blue movie” before setting out is a recipe for disaster. Expecting the 911 operators to actually send the fire engine to the correct place is another pie-in-the-sky.
Private sector stay out CIG to the rescue.