Posted by Robert Arthur, Arthur's Bakery on August 17, 2000 at 14:13:12:
Briland Fire Brigade
By Robert Arthur, Arthur's Bakery
Were you here on that terrible night of March 6, 1999, when the explosion and fire destroyed Valentine's Yacht Club's Dive Center?
You jumped out of bed, heart pounding, and raced down to the scene . and what you saw filled your heart with dread. The local fire brigade volunteers had quickly brought our 25-year-old fire truck to the scene, but the pump wasn't working, and the hoses weren't well sealed. Water was squirting everywhere except toward the fire. There had been no rains for months, and everything on the entire island was tinder-dry. The entire town held its collective breath as the building flames leapt from the dive shop to the tree of the Albury family home next door. It then occurred to a number of us that the Club's major fuel storage tank had not yet blown up. [We all remembered having seen a film in high school that described the kind of mushroom cloud you get when a large fuel tank blows. Where was the tank? Had its shut-off valves been properly closed the night before?]
As various objects - SCUBA tanks, compression equipment -- in the dive shop began to explode, a number of people began to back away from the scene. One family of renters in particular headed back to their guest house to assemble emergency supplies so that they could evacuate the island. They wanted to be prepared to wade out into the bay in case the whole village went up in flames.
You know the end of the story. Through the grace of God, the wind shifted to blow out toward the harbour, and the volunteers were able to use the contents of the swimming pool to extinguish the fire. The very next day, the sickly smell of smoke pervaded Dunmore Town, but the fire was out, and no one was hurt.
Next time, will we be so lucky? The question has continued to gnaw at many of us ever since that terrible evening. Since the Valentine's event, we have upgraded the water system and installed a network of new fire hydrants at various points around the island as a start at protecting ourselves. But what we could really use is a new fire truck that can store 700-1000 gallons of water, pump water from the sea as easily as it can from the street hydrants, and hold the tools and equipment needed to fight a two-storey building fire. We'd like to have a fire truck in place that will have mechanical parts available when we need them, and that can easily maneuver the narrow streets as well as the unpaved roads of Harbour Island.
Did you know that our major insurers have listed Harbour Island as a Classification A insurance risk, 'A' being the worst and most costly classification?
Thanks to the high concentration of home ownership we currently enjoy, but with no thanks to our lack of access to adequate fire protection today, our fire insurance premiums are among the region's most expensive.
In the meantime, a committee of fire-fighting professionals, local government, volunteers, and friends has researched the special needs of island fire-fighting, and is building a budget designed to support everything needed for a sophisticated fire system that the island can depend on. At this very moment, fire truck agents in the U.S. are searching for a used engine to meet those needs, which we expect it to cost approximately $120,000. We've estimated another $15,000 annually for fuel and operating expenses, and another $3-5,000 to renovate and maintain a firehouse to secure the truck. We look forward to your assistance in raising the $140,000 necessary.
With the backing of the Harbour Island Police Department, a trained volunteer fire brigade will run the truck as led by Fire Captain Jefferson Johnson. The proposed budget will not only set aside appropriate compensation for Jefferson, but will also include a small monthly stipend for the members of the volunteer brigade. All members of the brigade will be outfitted with VHF/CB radio communications equipment, so that response time will be effectively minimized.
We'd love to have your support moving forward with this effort. Can you help? If you are on-island, we'd be delighted to have you bring your check into the Royal Bank of Canada in person and meet with Bank Manager Keith Wells. You'll be able to see the fire truck the All-Age schoolchildren have drawn to help us track our progress.
If you're currently off the island, but indeed want to offer your support to this necessary initiative, we invite you to mail or wire your contributions to the Briland Modem Fund, Bank of America Account No. 21734 08237, ABA Wire No. 12100035-8, 10153 Riverside Drive, Suite 244, Toluca Lake CA 91602, Tel [outside of California] 1 800 441 6457 [press * for an operator] or [inside California] 818 507 6700 [press * for an operator]. Please note on the check that your donation is being earmarked for the Fire Brigade Fund. Your donation to the Briland Modem Fund is tax-deductible, as the Fund is a recognized 501©(3) not-for-profit corporation. A monthly statement listing all activities on the Fire Fund Account will be available at the Royal Bank of Canada, and can be viewed online at the Briland Modem located at www.briland.com. You'll keep abreast of the committee's progress.
There isn't much that we can do to further protect ourselves from hurricanes, but a working fire truck will go a long way toward protecting us from nature's other major threat. Your support will help us all sleep better at night knowing that the protection we need for all of our homes and businesses is now available. And best of all, we'll continue to enjoy the peace and beauty of Harbour Island, this unique and irreplaceable jewel where people of so many lands feel at home.
Best regards,
Robert Arthur, Arthur's Bakery
Jefferson Johnson, Harbour Island Fire Brigade
Keith Wells, Royal Bank of Canada