Humble hero

The heroics of 30-year-old Kemar 'Doggie' Campbell Wednesday have led to him being hailed as a hero after he mounted a utility pole to the rescue of a Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) contractor electrocuted by power lines in his Arnett Gardens community.

Campbell, a resident of Eighth Street in the Kingston 13 community, was inside his home about 10 a.m. when screams outside alerted him to the unfolding tragedy.

After rushing outside, he saw Ainsley Scott on fire atop a light pole, hanging upside-down and helpless.

With no prior knowledge of or training in electrics, the humble upholsterer sprang into action to assist the man unknown to him.

Scott, employed to M&O Traders, one of the JPS's emergency response contractors, was responding to a customer issue in the community with a colleague when the incident occurred. Residents told The Gleaner that they been without electricity since midday Tuesday.

“Mi ask the man (colleague) if him nah help him bredren down, and him say him no have nothing fi help him down, and mi say, 'What happen to the ladder?' Him say it too short, so mi tell him to reverse the van and put the ladder on top and mi go up deh,” Campbell told The Gleaner.

Campbell worked alongside, and in some instances, instructed both the JPS crew on hand and the firemen who had arrived not long after on how to get Scott down from the pole.

“Me feel good still fi go up on the light post to help the man … . Mi have a best friend weh deal wid current, so most time, mi deh 'roun him. Mi did have fear, but me look and realise that all of the current that was on him gone,” Campbell said.

“He needs to get an award. God send him people dem fi help,” said a relieved female resident when it was all over.

Another resident, Derrick Nelson, hailed Campbell as a true hero, expressing disappointment that the JPS crew and the fire response team had not done more to assist.

“Two young men blank dem mind say dem have to save this man, jump up on the post and go up there and hold up the man head for the longest while. Is almost an hour before we get a brigade truck, and when dem come, dem don't even have a ladder. Not even a bucket to go up there to save the man's life,” Nelson said, adding that other men followed Campbell's lead in the rescue mission and team spirit was built.

“The firemen don't go all now, enuh, to cut the wire and let down the man. A citizen hold him wid tarpaulin and sponge. Everybody panic, but the citizens did not panic. These guys need to get a job at JPS since the people who train to do the job afraid, and they brave it and say this man must live.,” he added.

Police officers on location also applauded the residents for their efforts.

Up to press time, the JPS said that details about the incident remained sketchy but that a probe had been launched.

Kerry-Gayl Forbes, acting public relations for the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), told The Gleaner that its staff are highly equipped and trained to deal with these matters, adding that whenever there is an incident that involves high-tension wire, the lines have to be de-energised by the JPS before a fire crew could attempt to do anything.

Forbes said he was informed that when the JFB team got there and did their assessment, they realised that the power line was still energised.

“You can't commit to putting other persons in danger in trying to effect a rescue with an energised line. The person that was working along with the gentleman managed to de-energise the line with a hot stick, and once the ladder was pitched – because of the crowd that was there they weren't able to control the crowd – someone just ran upon the ladder and pulled down the gentleman,” Forbes told The Gleaner.

M&O Traders Limited Director Marvin Turner told our newsroom that up to 6 p.m. last evening, he had not received an update on Scott's condition.

“I'm trying to get in touch with his family members and I don't receive a callback as yet ... . I sent the lead man to probe it. I haven't spoken to him yet,” Turner said, noting that he had been busy with a family engagement.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com