Fire service warns of overloaded circuit breakers, illegal connections

In light of the increase in fires across the country, Fire Prevention Officer at the Guyana Fire Service, Sheldon Sauna has warned homeowners to display safe electrical practices.

During Fire Prevention Week activities on Friday, he told the media that electrical fires are mainly caused by illegal connections or overloading the electrical circuit system.
Illegal connections, which are commonly practiced throughout the country, can also cause electrocution because such connections are usually unsafely constructed and don’t have the required electrical protection. In some cases, persons can be killed accidentally when they are in contact with live wires.
Meanwhile, Sauna also acknowledged the fact that persons have been setting fires deliberately, which can cause result in more severe catastrophes.
“Having illegal connections or overloading the circuit breakers contributes a lot, not just to electrical fires but fires on a whole….We have persons within their surroundings who would light illegal fires and then sometimes, it spreads into something big. It can catch hours and that sort of thing,” he said.
In August, a 34-year-old carpenter died almost instantly after being electrocuted whilst on a fishing trip with his family at Coverden, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Orlando Ramnarine was with his wife, Aronva Parmanand and his brother-in-law on a fishing trip at El Sol Farm, commonly called the “cherry farm” on the East Bank of Demerara.
At about 13:30h on the said day, Ramnarine was in the process of casting his fishing net when it came into contact with a live exposed electrical wire, which subsequently caused the now dead man to instantly collapse. While the wire was disconnected shortly after, GPL later confirmed that an illegal connection was the cause of the incident.
In order to reduce the importation and use of substandard electrical products which often result in these fires and other damages, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), in partnership with the Government Electrical Inspectorate (GEI), has developed a number of standards which will see the supervision of various electrical items being imported, resold and used throughout the country.
A total of 31 national standards were developed by the Bureau’s electro-technical committee, and were later approved by the National Standards Council to stipulate requirements for the electrical fittings and equipment.
Some of the standards titles include: seasonal and holiday decorative products, lamp holders, armoured cables, panel boards, surge protective devices and grounding and bonding equipment, among others. The Bureau is expected to commence the enforcement of these standards on February 1, 2020.