Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) managing director Jearlean John says it is up to home-owners to take responsibility for their safety and to follow HDC guidelines. That, she said, could ultimately help them avert disasters. Her comment comes in the wake of a fire at a Duncan Street apartment building on June 29 which claimed the life of six-year-old Ronase Osbourne.
In a phone interview yesterday, John said the home-owners were being educated on safety and how to take care of their houses or apartments through an educational awareness programme which was started last year. She said officers have been visiting apartment buildings after the HDC advertised its next site visit in the media. “We are enforcing it and we just refurbished the apartments and it was in the papers and on the electronic media and the radio. We also sent letters individually to them,” she said.
However, John said several of the residents had failed to comply and follow the rules they were trying to enforce. “It starts with the person being responsible for themselves. We put in smoke detectors, hose reels and fire extinguishers,” she said. She said tenders also were recently sent out for the installation of fire escapes on buildings. She added: “A lot of buildings are 25 years to 40 years old and some are not ready to take a fire escape.
“The structural engineers’ reports are now in and it will be going for approval from the HDC board on Thursday and we are going out for tenders now. We have the solution and we have the designs to put in after we have an estimate.” Another HDC official, who did not want to be named, said they had ongoing problems with home-owners who were bridging electricity in various areas and overloading the outlets and not paying their electricity bills.
The official added: “This is a problem that has imploded and has caused people to lose their lives. “We speak with them directly and discourage them. We have the problem with illegal connections and make sure there are safeguards in place. “They have to take responsibility for their safety. We have educated them of practices through direct mail, newspaper campaigns and letters in their mail.”
The official said HDC officers also visited the communities and spoke with the residents on health and safety, made checks and took photos of illegal connections. “They are all bridging electricity and that is why there is a vigilant campaign going on. We have photos in several high-risk communities where the circuits are overloaded. Some don’t pay their bills and there is also a security issue to deal with,” the official said.
Upgrades were mandated by the Government following a fatal fire at HDC’s Trou Macaque apartments in Laventille in December 2011. Four people died in the fire. The HDC had to relocate the affected families to emergency housing at Oropune Gardens, Piarco.