St James fire superintendent calls for joint road safety initiative

WESTERN BUREAU:

Superintendent Oneil Henry, who heads the St James branch of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), is urging the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) and other stakeholders to work with the Fire Brigade to educate motorists on safer road use and help reduce traffic crashes.

Addressing last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the StJMC, Henry said such an initiative remains necessary despite a decline in road-traffic incidents attended by the brigade. The JFB responded to seven motor vehicle accidents in September, down from 12 in August.

“Concerning the cause of these accidents, I will not say that it is only because of the reckless or dangerous driving that the drivers are doing, but somehow it has to do with the road conditions also,” said Henry. “We have to find a way, along with the police, to educate these drivers that are driving on the road, because we know of a fact that the road conditions are there, and that speeding will kill and will cause hurt.”

He argued that a coordinated approach involving public agencies could help improve road safety across the parish.

“The JFB, in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the StJMC and other agencies, has to find a way how to reach out to all the drivers within the scope of our realm and see how best we can educate them on driving safe,” continued Henry. “I am asking us to be one unit and to see how much we can assist in lessening motor vehicle accidents within our parish and our surroundings.”

Responding to Henry’s appeal, Deputy Mayor Dwight Crawford, councillor for the Spring Garden Division, offered condolences on behalf of the corporation following the death of Henry’s son, 26-year-old O’Neil Henry Jr, in a motor vehicle crash two months ago.

Henry Jr died on August 17 when the Suzuki Grand Vitara he was driving collided with a truck on the Braco main road in Trelawny. He died at the scene, while his passenger, 25-year-old Alicia Dormer, was taken to hospital and died the following day.

“Superintendent Henry was speaking very strongly about the road accidents, and he has recently lost his son in a road accident. On behalf of the StJMC, we share condolences to you and your family,” said Crawford.

Henry’s concerns come even as the parish has recorded a steady decline in the number of motor vehicle crashes attended by the JFB. The brigade responded to 130 such incidents in 2025, compared with 145 in 2024 and 156 in 2023.

Meanwhile, Henry told the meeting that the division’s ambulance is currently out of service following a crash, affecting emergency response capabilities in St James.

“Our emergency medical service is currently not in operation due to our ambulance having an accident, and we are repairing the ambulance. We hope to do that assiduously, and in short order we will have that ambulance up and running; and that also will help in our service, especially when it comes on to motor vehicle accidents,” said Henry.

According to the JFB’s September report, St James recorded 103 fire-related calls, including 65 genuine incidents and 16 malicious false alarms. That was down sharply from the 293 calls received in August.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com