Four years after the Virgin Islands government assumed full jurisdiction over Water Island from the Interior Department, a plan providing fire service to Water Island residents is shaping up.
About 30 residents gathered Saturday with officials of the local government to advance plans to provide Water Island with fire service. St. Thomas-Water Island administrator Louis Hill, Territorial Police Chief Jose Garcia and St. Thomas Fire Chief Merwin Potter listened as officials of the Water Island Civic Association outlined plans for fire service including a volunteer organization.
Potter told the organization that one of the issues holding up the relocation of 350-gallon fire truck on Water Island is the liability of volunteers. At the meeting, the association provided an overview of two plans they believe are feasible. The first involves a completely volunteer fire-fighting squad, trained by the Virgin Islands Fire Service. That plan, however, ran aground as WICA official Jim Wilkinson detailed the cost of liability insurance, incorporation, vehicle insurance and maintenance and equipment will exceed the organization's annual income.
But a second plan which also to a certain extent involves volunteer firefighters was accepted by government officials. Under that proposal, the V.I. Fire Service would cover the costs associated with training the volunteer firefighters, finance all costs associated with having a fire truck on the island and in general oversee all aspects of the island's fire protection needs.
"The truck would be located a central location, volunteers will be trained on-island by VIFS personnel," Wilkinson said. Up to 15 persons have already signed up to be fire volunteers.
"Our role would be to knock the fire down and basically control the spread of a blaze until the V.I. Fire Service can get to Water Island," he noted. Wilkinson said having a 350-gallon pumper on Water Island would be more effective than any plan now in place.
Potter agreed to the plan and said it was workable. Officials of the government estimated that the 20-year-old truck for which WICA has already paid money to make roadworthy could be transferred to Water Island by January 2001. The truck would be parked at a Water Island home until a permanent location is established.
After much discussion at the meeting, it was agreed to that the costs associated with relocating an old modular classroom to Water Island for use as a temporary fire house would make the idea impractical. Residents said they could build a structure to secure the fire truck at a fraction of the cost of establishing a modular classroom unit on the island.
Like the transfer of the fire truck, if all goes according to plan, the training for the Water Island volunteer squad could begin in January as well.
