How far off the road did the controversial firetruck run last November before it was retrieved at enormous expense? In an interview with the T&T Guardian last week, president of Sammy’s Multilift Service Ltd Ramdath Ramsubir claimed the water tender plunged some 300 to 400 feet over a precipice. “About 300 to 400 feet down. It was very far down,” Ramsubir said.
He made the comments as he insisted the $6.8 million price tag for retrieving the water tender was “justified,” after questions were raised about the hefty sum paid for the job. A quotation of $10,189,115 was originally submitted, but Cabinet twice refused to sign off on it after several ministers objected to the whopping price. Cabinet eventually agreed to a revised price of $6.8 million, approximately three times what the tender cost when new.
The accident occurred on November 17 along the Blanchisseuse Road, as the water tender was going to the scene of a traffic accident that claimed the life of Rose Moonilal. She and her husband, Krishna, were returning from a beach lime when their car went over the edge of the eroded roadway. The water tender was on its way to the scene when it also ran off the road and down the hill.
Along with a November 22 report that he sent to permanent secretary Jennifer Boucaud-Blake, former chief fire officer Carl Williams attached a letter detailing the method used to retrieve the water tender. The letter, from Sammy’s Multilift, said: “Due to the fragile surrounding area of the accident site, large wooden crane mats were carried to site and place as a foundation for the 250-tonne crawler crane with the assistance of a forklift.
“The crane was then positioned on the wooden crane-pad foundation, riggers were then safely lowered approximately 100 feet to the tender in order to secure the rigging to the same. “The tender was then lifted out of the precipice in a synchronised manner with the assistance of two excavators and the 250-tonne crawler.” Ramsubir also told T&T Guardian three 35-tonne cranes had to be used.
However, the report made no mention of the cranes Ramsubir claimed were used for the job. In addition, Williams’s report said, “Fire Service land search and rescue teams from the Santa Cruz and Chaguanas Fire Stations responded to the call but were unable to haul the appliance out from where it had come to rest approximately 15 metres down the precipice.”
Fifteen metres is 49.2126 feet. In an amateur video recording at the scene, posted online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gdr_daVrCc&sns=fb, the speaker on the audio track says the firetruck ran 60 feet off the road. The truck is clearly visible, not far below road level. None of the six firefighters aboard were trapped in the water tender when it ran off the road.
Williams said in his report: “Reports indicated that all officers on board the appliance escaped serious injuries and were able to exit the vehicle unaided, except for firefighter Roxanne Samaroo who was thrown from the front seat of the appliance and sustained an injury to her right shoulder.”
The six firefighters were identified as: Briggs (driver), Samaroo, Beharry, Ramrattan, Charles and Ford. The report said they were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Complex, Mt Hope, where they were treated and discharged, except Samaroo, who was kept overnight for observation and discharged the following day.