Fire Safety Tips

Friends and Neighbours in this period of heightened wildfire activity, it seems timely to highlight some safety precautions to take in the event that a wildfire threatens your home or the homes of loved ones.

Recently a friend of mine had to fight off a fire that was encroaching on her house. Luckily she was helped by neighbours and passers-by who formed a bucket brigade, because the fire station a mile away never responded until they had successfully doused the flames. To make matters even more difficult, there was no water in the mains - part of the nationwide water restrictions in effect. Thank goodness they had a tank that they were able to use to put the fire out.

Are you prepared in the event of an approaching brush fire?

* REMEMBER FIRES NEED FUEL. If you are in a high-risk area, you may want to clear at least a 30 foot perimeter around your house. If you are on a slope, you may need to extend that to 100 feet.

* Brush fires may accelerate UP a hill at a faster rate than going DOWN the hill. This is because the air heated by the fire rises and in turn heats and dries out the area ahead of the fire, in effect preparing a path for it to advance.

* LADDERS FUELS. Overhanging branches close to the roof offer a way for a fire to "jump" to your home - keep overhanging branches trimmed back in the dry season and douse the roof with water in the event of an emergency.

* Dead leaves, grass lying around the yard are easy to ignite - and to blow with the wind and spread the fire. Keep the area around your house clear of dead and dry vegetation.

* Dry overgrown shrubbery - trim excess growth and get rid of any dead leaves and branches to eliminate material that can fuel airborne sparks into full-blown flames.

* We grew up with neighbours prepared to construct a firebreak along the perimeter of our homes. A shallow ditch about 3-6 meters wide, cleared of ALL vegetation and possibly covered with red sand to cut off any fuel source.

More tips here available in this pdf download.

Also see this interactive presentation illustrating an imminent fire encroachment.

Be safe T&T.

Kidnapped Car Dealer Ashraf Ali Rescued

Kidnapped auto dealer Ashraf 'Alvin' Ali was abandoned by his abductors as they fled intense pursuit via ground and air in the wee hours of Good Friday morning 2-Apr-2010.

Ali, 30, was abducted in Chase village on Wednesday night along with his wife Anita Harrinanan, 22. She was released that night.

On Thursday night, in an operation involving several police agencies, attention was focused on an area of Laventille where it is believed Ali was being kept.

As police carried out their searches they received information that Ali had been taken from the area. Air support was called in and the helicopter spotted the vehicle heading south along the Uriah Butler Highway.

Attempting to evade pursuit and road blocks, the kidnappers switched vehicles but were unable to shake law enforcement. The vehicle was abandoned and the kidnappers fled.

Police recovered the vehicle and Ali was found a short distance away not long after.

Reports in the daily newspapers today:

Trinidad Express

Trinidad Guardian

Newsday

*UPDATED* American LEON TODD JONES hiding in TnT - wanted on charges of sexual abuse against minors

American LEON TODD JONES is wanted in Oregon for sexual abuse of 3 minors between 1996-2001. 

He has been hiding out in Trinidad. 

Extradition proceedings began Feb 2 and he has since gone into hiding somewhere in our blessed country. 

Please see today's Trinidad Express for further details.

Look for this face TnT. 

Anonymous posting allowed below, or contact CrimeStoppers at 800-TIPS (800-8477).

*** UPDATE ***
We've been able to identify that Jones, is in his late 40s and has the following physical attributes:

• A long red birthmark on the back of his neck
• A crooked scar on his abdomen
• A tattoo of the name "Kerry" on his left forearm
• Blue eyes
• 5' 7" in height

He has been profiled on American TV's America's Most Wanted and the number they give to report any sightings is:
1-800-CRIME-TV
1-800-27463-88

End of February update

I wanted to be very sure of this before I posted it, so I've taken a few days to confirm. 


I want you to know that as of March 3rd 2010, there are no persons missing for the month of February 2010. 


There were, however, two close calls. Both involved very young girls.


In one incident a 10 yr girl in Diego Martin was taken by the driver of the PH taxi she had travelled in with her grandmother to get home. Thankfully, and likely due to the efforts of her determined and quick-thinking grandmother, she was returned unharmed back into her grandmother's care within hours. 


There was one other incident on February 10th where 3 girls, aged 11 and 12, boarded a maxi-taxi after school but never arrived home. The girls' parents reportedly arrived at the school to collect them and found them missing. In that instance, relatives and well-wishers reported it to the police, but also formed a search party and discovered the girls in a nearby housing scheme early the following morning.


We are thankful that in both incidents, the children made it safely back home. And we remain aware that we must continue to be vigilant and look out for our fellow man.


Let us pray for continued positive change in Trinidad & Tobago, and for a safe month of March. 


Blessings!

An Anniversary of a different kind...

 

One year ago a mother faced a difficult decision, unaware that it would change her life forever. On that morning, Gale Lammy made arrangements with her little eight year old girl to take a taxi home after school for the first time.

With little Leah's phone dead, her mother exchanged cell phones with the child, taking Leah's with her to be charged while she worked. She gave strict instructions to keep the phone off until after school.

When school was let out, Gale called her daughter time and time again, only to find her calls going straight to voicemail. Calls to her father confirmed that he had not picked her up from school, and the frantic mother made her way to the school compound beginning the search for her daughter.

At some point that night the cell phone was answered, but not by Leah. A male voice told the distraught mother that if she wanted to see her child again, she would have to pay TT$300,000. That was the last time the phone was answered.

Leah has not been seen since that day.

She is not forgotten.

Gale Lammy worked with police investigators for days before eventually breaking her silence and pleading for the public's help in finding Leah.

The anguish of a mother's heart touched the nation, and for many, Leah came to symbolize what was very wrong in our country.

Too many girls had gone missing, particularly in Central Trinidad, after boarding PH taxis (private cars for hire). Many suspected that human trafficking was becoming a profitable business for a few. Many lived crippled with fear, and some made the decision to migrate and leave these shores for good.

Since then there has been an arrest and an ongoing trial, but there is a lot of mystery surrounding Leah and her accused kidnapper - Salis Mack. He says he knows exactly what happened to Leah but refuses to talk unless his family is given protected status and relocated outside of Trinidad and Tobago. He claims that the people involved are very well connected and well-respected businessmen.

It would seem that he has indeed not talked, since Gale Lammy has had no closure with respect to her daughter's disappearance. No new word on what has happened to Leah, and whether there is any hope of finding her.

Here's what I find interesting.

That we, to this date, categorically deny that there has ever been human trafficking taking place in Trinidad and Tobago.

In my humble opinion, there is always a possibility of something happening, unless you have facts that prove otherwise. Why is our law enforcement insisting otherwise without providing us with any details to support their rejection of this theory, despite the continued disappearance of young women in our country?

Human trafficking or not, we have a problem. Our citizens continue to go missing. We cannot continue to live in fear and hope to have a productive society. And we cannot allow our youth to be taken.

The mentality of "Anything to make a dollar" cannot be one that we accept.

Salis Mack insists he was "just doing a job".

Since his arrest, the wave of girls disappearing in PH taxis in Central Trinidad appears to have slowed considerably. Let us hope that he will one day lead Gale to her daughter.

Today please pray for Gale Lammy. And remember Leah. Let her not be forgotten.

Attitude is Everything

In our last post, we talked about the importance of having a plan.

When emergency hits, circumstances can change in a split-second. As much as we'd like to believe we will be able to quickly think our way out of whatever challenge is facing us, there's often no time for thinking things all the way through. There's only time for reacting.

Take some time and come up with a basic plan that covers home safety (what will you do in the event of a fire, a flood, etc) as well as personal safety outside the home (in your car, or otherwise).

As far as home safety goes, do you have an alternative exit route in case a main hallway is blocked, etc. In case of hurricane/flood planning, do you have an emergency flashlight and radio? Where are they kept? Think these things through and prepare, although we hope you never have to put your plan into action.

Coming up with your plan serves a second critical purpose - fostering the right attitude.

Have you ever listened to survivor stories and heard "I knew I had to find a way" or "I knew I couldn't give up". I've always believed that when it comes to difficult situations, there are two types of people. Those who look outside to await rescue and those who turn inward to create their own rescue opportunity.

Some refer to the second type as having a "survivor mentality". And it shows in our daily lives, in the attitude we have to unexpected circumstances.

Where the loser saw barriers, the winner saw hurdles. 
~Robert Brault

Attitude is everything.

Be aware while driving

Yesterday I received an email describing an incident where a vehicle with two female passengers appears to have been targeted and followed by a car carrying three male passengers. This occurred in the environs of the Hasely Crawford Stadium on the night of Tuesday 26th January.

We have been able to confirm that this incident did indeed happen. The text of that email is included below for your reference.

While this incident occured in Port of Spain, drivers everywhere are urged to be observant on the roadways, and especially vigilant when entering and leaving your vehicle.

• Carefully observe the area around your vehicle before entering to ensure you are not in danger of someone trying to force entry when you try to get in.
• Carefully observe your surroundings to identify whether anyone may be "marking" you.
• Keep your cell phone ready in case of emergency (Blackberry owners, this may mean unlocking your phone before you drive off or programming an emergency number beforehand).
• Keep alert - avoid activities that may prevent you from hearing the sound or observing the behaviour of other vehicles such as:
• use of cellphones for lengthy casual conversations
• listening to excessively loud music
• driving while drowsy
• driving while "buzzed"
• Have a plan - there is no time to come up with a plan in an emergency. Without a plan, you will be caught reacting, instead of having some measure of control over the situation. This can lead to panic, which is not helpful.
• Know where the nearest police station is
• Do not venture onto unknown roads that may be dead ends
• Make that emergency call!

If there is one piece of advice above that cannot be over-emphasized it is:

   Have a plan!

Situations and assumptions can change in a split-second and you need to be able to react quickly to regain the advantage. This is applicable too in the case of flood and fire evacuation, etc. It's always good to have a plan.

The email message follows below:

Just wanted to give you all a heads up on an incident that happened last night, Tuesday 26th January 2010 at 2020 hrs. My mother and I were waking towards my car which was parked in movietowne POS when we noticed a white nissan parked across from us with three men. They were just sitting in the car as though they were waiting on someone. We knew that they hadn't just arrived to their car because they weren't many people walking around the car park at that time and as we were the first to walk out of our movie, we were aware of who would have been in front of us for a couple minutes. The three men kept looking at us and only started their vehicle when we got into my car. We decided to wait a couple minutes as the situation looked suspicious. I decided to drive off as we were parked between a van and a jeep and that didn't feel safe either. I noticed a car stuck in on the window on my side but I wasn't putting the window down for anything. We were approaching the security booth at the exit of movie towne when I noticed the same vehicle parked in front the Mariott with the left indicator flashing. Too obvious...but an opportunity to get proper view of liscense plate PBC 6976. We were about to turn onto the highway from the traffic lights when PBC 6976 also pulled off and started speeding towards us moving in between other cars. I turned off at the Cocorite exit to head back into the POS area planning to head into the nearest police station. PBC 6976 also turned off from the Cocorite exit into POS. Thankfully, I was able to lose them.

Please be on the lookout for PBC 6976 as well as any other suspicuous vehicles. When approaching your vehicle, take a walk around it to make sure that there isn't any unusual activity by your car. Lock your doors as soon as you get into your vehicles. Don't let a second pass by for any predator to jump into your vehicle. Constantly make use of all your mirrors when in your car. Keep a sharp eye out. Keep a clear head if you find yourself in a similar situation: clear head keeps a calm spirit.
Keep safe folks and pray before every journey.

Be safe out there everyone...