Strong winds, little water cramp firefighting

Spanish Town, St Catherine:

The St Catherine Fire Department says the inadequate water supply and strong winds are the major factors affecting their firefighting efforts.

Senior superintendent in charge of St Catherine fire department, Julian Davis Buckle, told The Gleaner there is adequate man power and equipment available to the department, to fight the increased incidents of bush fire now being experienced in the parish

"Given the severe drought we are experiencing, there are more bush fires that the department has to deal with, (but) the major challenge we face is the windy conditions and not having water nearby for speedy refills," Davis pointed out.

According to her, the fire units have to travel long distance in order to refill the trucks. Despite this, she said the staff have been exercising resilience in their firefighting efforts, given the increase in bush-fire calls that the department has been receiving.