Over the last few years, the government has been pushing housing projects, and in keeping with this, a number of housing schemes have been opened along the East and West Banks, the East and West Coast of Demerara.While these housing schemes have been (and are continually being) occupied by a number of persons, they are void of access to good fire protection, since they are so far away from fire stations.In Georgetown there are some four fire stations while on the West Coast Demerara there is a fire station at Leonora. Demerara is sometimes bolstered by the support of the fire services of the estates of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which sometimes respond to fires, nearby their respective estates.At presently East Coast Demerara is void of a fire station.Many of the new housing areas, which are opening up across the county of Demerara, are high density housing areas, where the houses are very close together. This makes the need for the fire service to be in closer proximity, greater, since neighbouring buildings are more likely to be set ablaze when one building goes up in flames.Former Fire Chief, Lawrence David, before he retired from his post as Chief Fire Officer of the Guyana Fire Service,Wholesale Jerseys USA, had explained to Kaieteur News that as there is development and expansion of the population of a country,NHL Jerseys Authentic, additional fire stations would be needed to cope with the increased fire risk.He had said that one of the biggest challenges, which the Fire Service faced, was the distance between the fire stations and the fires. “The distance hinders our response time, and in doing so affects our effectiveness,” said Lawrence.More often than not, the Guyana Fire Service responds quickly, when a report of a fire is made, but the sheer distance of the fire station from the fire often results in the building(s) in question,Wholesale Cheap NFL Football Jerseys, being completely destroyed before the fire fighters arrive on the scene.As a result, many residents of the East Coast Demerara have highlighted the fact that they do not feel safe, as their accessibility to fire protection is limited. “The Fire Service is based in Georgetown,” highlighted an Enmore resident, “If my house catches afire,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, how are they going to get to my house quickly enough to save anything?”While there have been many calls for the Guyana Fire Service to be decentralised, no fire stations have been erected in the past few years, despite the allocation of funds in the ‘Estimates of the Public Sector’ for the,Wholesale NBA Jerseys, “construction, rehabilitation of fire stations and buildings.” According to the ‘Estimates of the Public Sector,’ put out by the Ministry of Finance, and presented to the National Assembly, in the budget this year, $22 million has been allocated for the construction and rehabilitation of these fire stations and buildings.In 2008, the government allotted $24 million for similar expenditures, while in 2007; $23.168 million was apportioned for these expenses.These figures do not represent the construction of any fire stations, despite the growing need for fire protection in these rapidly expanding housing schemes.When confronted with these figures, the Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, hinted that there may be plans to remedy the situation, but did not further elaborate.However, the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, said that the Guyana Fire Service was working in accordance to the development plan, which they had put together; the same plan which Cabinet approved.“The development plan”, said Rohee,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, “is constantly under review.”He added that while there have not been any new fire stations constructed in the county of Demerara in the last few years, Fire Stations have been constructed in Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, Rose Hall, Corentyne Coast and in Bartica, Essequibo River.