Fire safety top priority

Guyana Chronicle
March 15, 2003

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THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has launched an active programme to educate businesses and Government agencies on general fire safety.

Fire prevention Inspectors are inspecting buildings that are fire hazards.

There are certain criteria the inspectors follow whenever they visit these buildings.

These include checking on the exits and entrances of buildings and according to Mr. Marlon Gentle, GFS Station Officer, it is necessary in cases of fire and stresses, that they must be in proper order.

In some instances the fire exits in some buildings are padlocked, he noted.

"The positions of the entrances and exits are vital," said Gentle.

Other factors that must be complied with are:

** all stock must be stored under a safe environment;

** there must be appropriate fire equipment such as fire extinguishers and sand, which must be properly maintained.

Gentle also warned owners not to overload their business with combustible and flammable items.

This is very detrimental in case of a fire, he said.

The aim of the exercise is to investigate what goes in the buildings and to see if they reflect the standards of the Fire Service, the officer said.

Recently, in the United States there were outbreaks of fire in some buildings in which several persons were killed due to inadequate exits.

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