March 25, 2009 — V.I. firefighters are hard-working professionals dedicated to protecting the lives and property of their neighbors, and are taking on even more responsibility, but they lack much of the equipment needed to handle situations that might arise in the territory, a fire official told senators Tuesday.
For example, the department lacks a ladder that can reach more than 10 feet, Victor N. Browne, director of V.I. Fire Services, told the Senate Committee on Public Safety, Homeland Security and Justice.
"We are seeing six-story buildings going up," Browne said. "Even if they have fire-suppression systems, there's still a need to rescue people from fourth fifth, sixth floors."
And there are plenty of other needs, he said, both big-ticket and smaller items, and they all cost money.
"We'd have to take it from our equipment budget, which we don't have," he said.
According to Browne, 96 percent of the department's budget goes for personnel costs. The little left over is for necessities.
Among other needs Browne cited were:
— Firefighting boats for both St. Croix and St. Thomas, at a cost of $850,000 each before figuring the costs of manning and maintaining them;
— Improved communication and GPS systems so firefighters can get to fires and other disasters more quickly and be prepared for what they find when they get there;
— New or renovated facilities throughout the territory;
— Consistent, ongoing training for hazardous-materials teams and emergency medical technicians;
— Potable water in growing areas;
— Removal of old, non-active fire hydrants in Frederiksted; and
— An on-island training facility so firefighters can sharpen their skills without having to travel to Jamaica or the mainland.
Committee members expressed sympathy with the department's needs, while reminding Browne of the realities of the current economy.
"It's a function of money," said Sen. Wayne James, who pointed out that so far this year the government has taken in $40 million less than at the same time last year. "Clearly money is a problem and will continue to be."
At the same time, the committee encouraged Browne to put together a laundry list of all the department's needs and bring it back in the next two weeks.
The senators questioned Browne on the process of business fire inspections. Businesses are required to have annual inspections as part of obtaining and renewing their business licenses through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs. According to Sen. Patrick Sprauve, businesses often simply ignore the requirement and get DLCA licenses anyway. The senator pressed Browne on how the department follows up.
According to Browne, the practice when a business either neglects or fails a fire inspection is to pass that information on to DLCA to have them revoke the license. This answer did not sit well with several senators, who expressed surprise that the fire department itself didn't order the business closed.
"You have to wait for Licensing to come in and shut them down?" Sprauve asked in surprise.
Sen. Sammuel Sanes, chairman of the committee, drew a hypothetical case of a business that on Friday afternoon failed a fire inspection. Waiting for DLCA to act might take until the next week, endangering residents over the weekend and beyond.
"There's nothing stopping the department from acting right now," Sen. Carlton Dowe said. "Leaders have to lead."
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