The Tribune

TWO fires in recent times have left questions in their aftermath about how prepared we are to deal with such incidents.

First, there was the blaze at Potter’s Cay, which wiped out a number of stalls there. Then, on Sunday, six homes were destroyed and four more damaged in the Jennie Street area.

In the wake of that blaze, some residents have concerns over how prepared firefighters were to tackle the fire.

One said that there were problems with not enough water – with one fire truck reportedly arriving with only a little water on board.

Another resident said that when firefighters tried to open a fire hydrant, only dust and rust came out. As that resident says, “What sense it makes having an empty fire hydrant? It makes no sense or sending fire trucks that can’t be accessible to water.”

We don’t know how much of a difference could have been made through a fully-laden fire truck and a fully-operating hydrant, but being without them leaves firefighters without precious tools in the fight.

These should be straightforward questions to answer. Why did fire trucks arrive without water? How long has it been since that fire hydrant was checked to see if it was in service? How many other fire hydrants have gone without checks for a long period?

Thankfully, no one lost their life in the fire, although one elderly woman was taken to hospital and we sincerely hope she makes a full recovery. Those who lived in the damaged and destroyed houses, however, have had their lives ruined in an instant, and perhaps there could have been a different outcome.

Our emergency services should be properly equipped to deal with the situations they face. That applies to our police force, it applies to our ambulance personnel, it applies to the defence force – and it applies to the fire service.

After any significant incident, there should be a standard debriefing, which can assess areas where improvement might be needed. Clearly, here there are a few questions to answer, and possibly a bigger question about how well maintained fire hydrants are across the country.

They are there for a reason – let’s make sure they work the way they’re supposed to.

Bimini airport

Resorts World Bimini is making an interesting offer – they want to run the airport on the island.

We should be cautiously interested in this. Such deals don’t always work out right – as we have seen by the government taking control back of the airport in Grand Bahama recently.

However, if it’s agreeable to all parties, it might well be worth some kind of public-private partnership to operate the airport.

After all, Resorts World is one of the prime beneficiaries of air travel, bringing guests from far and wide to enjoy the delights of Bimini.

Therefore, it is in their interests to ensure the airport is run to the best standards possible, and offers a positive experience from the moment travellers arrive.

It’s not a small deal either – it has a $40m price tag on it. The runway would be lengthened and there would be a new terminal.

As long as there are appropriate safeguards and accommodation for the needs of residents as well as for visitors, this could be a deal that is a win for everyone concerned.

It’s not a done deal yet, but it’s very much one worth talking about.

Let’s be honest, there’s no money in the government’s coffers to make any improvement to Bimini’s airport facilities.

The same sort of deal seems highly likely to be the future for Grand Bahama’s airport.