Barbadians have awakened to the news of the tragedy which occurred in Tudor Street last night. From all reports the cause is linked to disgruntled robbers who threw a Molotov cocktail (petrol bomb) into a Tudor Street business.
The helplessness of our firemen who despite their best efforts were unable to save those who perished in the blaze was clearly visible in the pictures captured by the media. To die as a result of smoke inhalation or being burned to death must be the most horrible way a human can depart this earth. May those who have committed this heinous act be brought to justice very soon (see the blog below which can help Barbadians to mobilize).
Some may think this an inopportune time to analyze what occurred on Tudor Street last night. No time is too soon to highlight what a lack of building codes and its enforcement by the relevant local authorities can do to prevent a similar tragedy from recurring.
For example:
Bowling at the Ms. Ram Merchandani owned Casa Grande located at Oldbury, St Philip has become very popular. To those who have visited it is an irrefutable fact that the Game Room is located downstairs the Bowling Alley. The Game Room which is always packed is about 10 feet wide and about 150 feet long where a padlocked glass door is positioned. Based on what is in public view the main* exit in use is through the Bowling Alley over another 250 feet which exits by the Bumper cars. The whole place is carpeted and therefore makes it easy to imagine what could happen if a fire were ever to occur. Bear in mind the place is always packed to capacity.
In light of the tragic event of the past 24 hours two issues need to be considered in the post mortem of the incident. To what extent the firemen who gave of their best to save the 6 who perished have been compromised by a corrupt system? Is it the Barbados Fire Service who is responsible for inspecting buildings to ensure occupational safety? What about the government who is ultimately responsible for ensuring public safety? To what extent the refusal of the implementation and enforcement of building codes by successive governments contributed to the laissez faire attitude which exist concerning the public safety of Barbadians? It appears from reading the reports so far the 6 who perished were trapped like rats in a trap with no ready means to escape a fire.
The other point. How in all good conscience should Miss Ram be allowed to operate a Game Room in the environment in which she currently operates? Why is it certain people are allowed to operate on the fringe of the law while others have to toe the line? The BU household made the decision long ago not to be found near the place. Sometimes what is popular is not good.
Most worrying as this incident has unfolded is the news which knocked Barbadians for six this week that the Commissioner of Police and his Deputy are at logger heads. Where is the leadership?
Hopefully this tragic incident will serve as a tipping point to galvanize Barbadians to wrestle back their society from the dark abyss towards which it is careening at a distressing pace.
170 responses to “If There Is A Time For Leaders In Barbados To Act Surely It Is Now; A Human Tragedy Which May Be The Tipping Point – Wither Ms Ram’s Game Room?”
But many people complain about Ms Ram and you know it
Bajans can dismantle Ms Ram and press on to close or fix a few wrongs in Bim.
I know I write bull But I have closed a few schools and have a few tottering . You see THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD AND THIER ARE WRONGS THAT CAN BE CORRECTRED AND EVIL DOERS THAT CAN BE STOPPED!
What Gate are you trying to keep though ? THE STATUS QUO?
I AM WITH DAVID ABANDON THE STATUS QUO LETS BOYCOTT MS RAM AND SHOW THE GATE KEEPER WHAT WE CAN DO.
IF WE THINK WE CAN WE CAN
IF WE THINK WE CANT WELL WE ARE PROBABLY CORRECT
Georgie Porgie | September 5, 2010 at 4:33 PM |
What is the point of BU then. For idiots like you to blow off hot air?
———————
Actually for people like you to launch personal attacks against particular individuals, rather than addressing issues from a general standpoint.
I won’t waste anymore time with you Georgie.
With regards to the tragedy last Friday, it may be necessary to have sprinkler systems installed in all business places, and there should be at lease two fire extinguishers on hand.
I wonder how the men who caused the deaths of those 6 young women feel within themselves right now. I wonder if they feel any guilt or remorse.
@David,”Isn’t embarrassing to listen to the Chief Fire Officer, Deputy PM and others stating what measures will be taken?”
Yes it is. Especially since these people travel to countries where red lit EXIT signs, FHC(fire hose cabinets) and Sprinkler Hydrants are visible.
I hope they will try to save face and act swiftly to deal with the implementation of Safety standards.
GP
As I told you before I am constantly analyzing you from your posts. Again your anger showed up when David was trying to get you to understand that we here are very upset with what happen and we were looking for solutions to these problems. You as usual went on a rant that you do not care about no mood. As with internet protocol, I told you that you always resort to shouting by writing in upper case. You shout at people every day. You may be like Mrs. Ram, very controlling.
Anyone can get on your case; you are easily distracted from the message.
I think it was your socialization being raise without a father and you are behaving a little girl-like. This is not a personal attack so you do not have to reply.
I do support you anyhow in trying to get Mrs. Ram to put emergency exits in her hotel where the Barbadian public congregate to have a lime
This thread is supposed to be about
1 in Barbados
2 Action Now
An event being a tipping point
Wither Ms Ram’s Game Room?
For any one who can read, it ought to be obvious that I have addressed each of these issues at some point on this thread.
Did I not point out that in Barbados very few leaders are appointed by those who are DISCERNERS OF GOOD MEN
Did I not speak of the need for leaders to be honest men with ideas, who sincerely care about the job they are doing?
Did I not speak of the need for leaders to be BLAMELESS OR STEWARDS AND NOT GIVEN TO FILTHY LUCRE (ie money or profit)?
Is that not general enough?
Did I not start to share about hoe Fire Chiefs are chosen, and the fact that the Fire Dept had been neglected in terms of simple equipment, and that this affects morale? Yet a total ass challenged what I know about the Fire Dept when I know that I was in conversation with certain officers before I left Barbados about furthering thier education, and about using thier waiting time to study.
The blog owner can not silence Eustines boy but wants to silence me and call my contribution crap.
Yet I can tell you that at least one Fire Officer pursued a course on Personal Fitness training at my imsistence with a view to improving the men’s fitness.
Does the braying jackasses know of the reccommendations I made about the ncessaricity for rehydration fluids to be avaiable at the station on all Fire Trucks to used at fires to keep the men PHYSIOLOGICALLY AT OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY.
But I have to respond to an ass telling me about making news? When I left Bim I was working with good men down the ranks putting certain ideas in thier heads BECAUSE CADOGAN AND MEN OF A CERTAIN RANK WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT IN. IS IT NOT A FACT THAT SOME OF THESE MEN HAVE AAND ARE STILL TAKING COURSES OFFERED OVERSEAS. But I am taking crap?
The blog owner calls me a crap talker. He is talking about action NOW. I though not a leader of the Dept had got men to start certain action years ago. AND I AGREED WITH HIM AND MAINTAIN THAT BAJANS SHOULD ACT NOW TO GET RID AND CLOSE CERTAIN PLACES THAT ARE INIMICABLE TO THE HEALTH OF BAJANS. And I am a crap talker?
Some are talking about fixing things. SHOULD NIOT SOME BIGGIES BE CLOSED AS AN EXAMPLE?
Have I not followed the outline of the thread and also addressed the issues of An event being a tipping point and
Wither Ms Ram’s Game Room?
Now that there is an incident wunnuh got serious and emotional and in a tizzy But I before I LEFT BARBADOS WITHOUT PAY WAS INFLUENCING CERTAIN MEN IN THE RANKS OF THE FIRE DEPT FOR ITS IMPROVEMENT
So when mental imbeciles and morons attack me should I not ENJOY MYSELF AND RESPOND?
IN time ALL THE OLD DROSS AT PROBYMN STREET WILL GO HOME AND SOME GOOD MEN WILL TAKE OVER AND I AM PROUD FOR THE LITTLE INFLUENCE I HAD ON THEM. Now cuss me some more!
←
@GP
No need to exaggerate, the request made of you and CCC was to suggest commenters were not in the mood to the back and forth you and CCC were engaged. Fair Play explained it quite well. Any way as always you may have the last word.
Again Fair play
I USE CAPITALS FOR EMPHASIS
I DO NOT CARE ABOUT INTERNET ETIQUETTE
YOU CAN CALL IT SHOUTING IF YOU LIKE
Read the thread from start to finish
Both my parents are alive
I was not raised like a girl
I am not controlling just acustomed to dealing with foplk who are cerebrating at a much higher level than most of you on BU.
And I dont get angry I just mock morons. OK
Read the thread again and see that I was making a contribution and revealing things you guys do not know and THAT ONLY BUSH TEA WAS ABLE TO DICSERN FROM READING THEFIRE HOUSE THREAD
EVERYT IMEYOU GUYS ATTACCK ME I WILL RESPOND
I WILL NOT BE YOU GUYS WHIPPING BOY! OK LOL
BTW there were three other boys in our house. And we played boys games and ran and swam OK
Georgie Porgie
” If you don’t like what I post erase it. OK But I intend to enjoy myself here when I come, regardless to your mood or any one’s else”
Take it easy Georgie, you might burst a blood vessel and I might have to call a doctor for you.
Better still, I think someone ought to take away your computer and send you to your room without any supper. You are behaving naughty!
David instead of addressing me you should have addressed Eustines boy But you all think that GP is your whipping boy.
Had my supper already and full acess to a full pantry and I am laughing all the way. I LAUGH AS I MOCK .
I DONT COME HERE BEGGING FOR A JOB APPROVAL OR A FEE PRAISE GOD, But when you challenge me and try to make me look stupid I will respond AS I DEEM FIT
@GP
Here is what was written, as you may discern both you and Cadogan were addressed:
@CCC and GP
Don’t you guys get it? We are not in the mood for this back in forth crap you are currently engaged.
I got that YOU SAID I WAS POSTING CRAP
I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT THE REASONS WHY THE FIRE DEPT WAS INEFFICIENT
I WAS SINCERELY SHARING WHAT I KNEW
I WAS SINCERELY SEEKING TO ENLIGHTEN THE BLOG AND BEING INTERRUPTED BY …………………. FROM SPOONERS HILL
I SAY IT AGAIN I DONT CARE ABOUT NO MOOD IN BIM
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE
I CARE ABOUT WHAT I WAS SAYING AND THAT A MORON WAS SEEKING TO INTERRUPT ME
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE
I MAKE A GOOD CONTRIBUTION TO THIS BLOG MAN AND WHEN ANY ONE ATACKS ME WHEN I KNOW THAT IAM CORCT AND SINCERE IN MY INTENTIONS I WILL RESPOND ACCORDINGLY MAN.
BANN ME BUT I AM TIRED OF THE NONSENSE
Georgie Porgie your behaviour in this forum is rabid. You are rude and have no etiquette. For someone who is an educator the traits that you have exhibited scares me and I feel sorry for the students whom you teach, or more likely dictate to. Your comments are at times bigoted and racist. You are a very poor example to the teaching profession!
GP wha happen? Yu better drink some cammomile tea an calm down.
It is a good thing you dint become a politician. Duh wud be kickin you out de House regula.
uh can’t wait fuh GP reply to islandgal246.
it mussee gine be cat tiss an tetter now.
@ Hants
What cat tiss and tetter what??!
Islandgal246 is absolutely correct. The bushman is flabbergasted by GPs behavior and attitude. It is not a matter of knowledge, or correctness, it is simple manners… and “brought-upsy”
Not only is it a tar on his old school, profession and age, but more so on his claim to Christianity.
How does someone who can so articulately explain the need to turn the other cheek, then come on another blog bragging of his unabashed arrogance? ….while tossing insults with unwarranted ferocity?
If GP is half the man he would like us to think he is, he would offer an unreserved apology to the BU family and especially to David and CCC.
…..don’t bother with the bushman, we bush folks never expect any thing like apologies…LOL
How long did the Fire Service take to deploy men and machines?
Whether it was in an acceptably short time or not, six people are dead.
All of them are women, all of them are young enough to be thought of as somebody’s children.
The outcome is not acceptable, but cannot be changed.
Even if the Fire Service was on the scene when these six all had life, it would have had precious little time to change the unacceptable outcome.
For there to have been a more palatable outcome would have required a member of the public to act above and beyond what could be expected.
Somebody would have needed to do something out of the ordinary.
And yet, when faced with life and death situations, people do.
Here is an example.
From the onlooker who was attracted by the commotion to those trained in rescue who improvised and forgot yhe manual, people acted beyond themselves and saved lives.
A half an hour was all it took to walk away from a horrible situation where 74 people died with at least a ray of hope and light.
The reason I am bringing the public in is because I don’t think our leaders are capable of stepping up to the plate as the title of this article suggests.
For me the worrying thing is no one seems to have come close that night to acting beyond the call.
The CBC footage is depressing.
Everybody seems to have waited for the Fire Service to arrive and then were confronted by a wall which no one could penetrate.
At Arch Cot, someone nearly did something out of the ordinary but was held back. Maybe he would have died.
We need to rediscover what it is to be our brother’s keeper and act sometimes outside of ourselves.
Sometimes it is better to take a chance than to watch impotently as people are crushed.
It is the only way to counter failed leadership and give people hope.
Somebody needs to do something out of the ordinary and get through or around the wall otherwise we will face even more extraordinary situations with no hope of making things better.
We now have 3 blogs on the same tragedy, it makes sense to post to one HERE.