On the morning of November 9, 2018, Guyanese woke up to the news that a Fly Jamaica plane had crash-landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, resulting in at least 10 persons being injured. It later became known that the airplane, carrying 118 adults, along with two infants and an eight-member crew, took off from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at about 02:10h destined for Toronto, Canada, but after sometime, the aircraft encountered hydraulic problems and as such, returned to Timehri where it crash-landed.
Chief Executive Officer of the airport, Ramesh Ghir, in updating the media had said the Emergency Response Plan was immediately activated. The passengers were assisted in the deplaning process and taken to safety. It should be mentioned that of those injured, one person; an elderly woman, has since succumbed. Most of the passengers were subsequently transported to their home or hotel, while arrangements were being made for them to be taken back to Canada via Caribbean Airlines.
One could only imagine the level of trauma and fear experienced by those passengers due to the unfortunate incident. However, if the trauma and fear were not enough, what was shocking and left many extremely disappointed was the fact that, in the midst of tragedy and uncertainly, some of the firefighters who were among the first to respond to the incident, were reportedly busy helping themselves with the personal property of passengers and crew. As in the case of the accident itself, the reports of theft were given international publicity in several media outlets, portraying our country in an extremely negative light.
The firefighters were supposed to have provided the much needed assistance in a timely and efficient manner. They were supposed to be busy trying to protect life and property. If indeed the acts of theft are proven to be true, one is forced to ask what were those firefighters thinking when they decided to carry out such a despicable act at a time when passengers and crew would have just had the most frightening experience of their lives.
What is even more appalling is the fact that firefighters, who are internationally recognised as first responders, are expected to uphold humanitarian goals and practices in life-threatening situations where persons’ lives are at risk or are endangered due to natural or man-made disasters.
The act has since been described as an act of international notoriety that puts Guyana in a bad light. A few days ago, former Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, commenting on the incident, said to steal from crew members and passengers at a time when they had to ‘run for their lives’ from a crashed passenger airplane is a crying shame and a grave embarrassment to our country and people.
It should be mentioned four of the persons fingered in the act are now before the courts. Fire Chief Marlon Gentle has confirmed that some of the stolen items, such as electronic devices, were returned by one of the men. In addition, other items were recovered at the Timehri Fire Station.
It could be recalled that the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) Stakeholder Consultation Forum held recently at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre to address Emergency Medical Technician services (EMT) was expected to see all members within the GFS being trained in first-responder skills, in order to save lives in emergency cases. However, in light of the actions by some of the firefighters that responded to the Fly Jamaica incident, it is clear that they paid no heed to the messages.
Certainly, given the incidents of theft allegedly perpetrated on the international aircraft by the firemen, it is necessary for the GFS to take immediate steps to review its operations, in particular its hiring process, training of new recruits and more importantly, how its members respond to emergency situations as in the case of Fly Jamaica.
Moving forward, it is hoped that all necessary actions will be taken by those in authority to prevent our country from facing such an embarrassing situation in the future.
