From collisions and flight emergencies to water-related rescues, Cayman firefighters had their hands full in 2023, responding to 2,227 fire and rescue incidents – an average of six a day.
Describing 2023 as “an especially busy year operationally”, the Fire Service released its annual statistics through the Ministry of Home Affairs annual report, which was tabled in Parliament last week.
Collisions most responded incidents
The Fire Service, led by Fire Chief Randy Rankin, attended 595 fire alarm or smoke alarm calls and responded to 26 motor-vehicle entrapments and extrications during the year.
As part of the emergency-response service for the island, local fire fighters also responded to 476 emergency calls for medical assistance and 10 water-related incidents, the report stated.
In 2023, Cayman saw an increase in motor-vehicle collisions, according to the RCIPS crime statistics for that year, with officers attending 3,196 such accidents, an increase of 281 or 10% compared to 2022, a similar increase to that of 2022 compared to 2021.
“On average, there are 61 MVAs a week in the Cayman Islands, around five more per week than in 2022. There were nine fatal MVAs on the roads of the Cayman Islands in 2023, a decrease of five MVAs, resulting in six fatalities, in 2022,” the RCIPS report stated.
During 2023, 24 people were seriously hurt and 390 others suffered slight injuries as a result of a vehicle collision.
Overall, 13% of all motor-vehicle accidents reported in 2023 involved an injury or a fatality, the RCIPS data showed.
Over the course of the year, the Fire Service stated, it was called to deal with 50 vehicle fires; some of these would have resulted from collisions.
The strain of daily collisions and the obvious danger those create on the roads prompted action from legislators this year.
They unanimously voted to consider reducing speed limits and increasing traffic fines to curb rising road fatalities and collisions, following a motion from government backbencher West Bay West MP McKeeva Bush.
The response times to incidents were not shared in the 2023 report, but in 2022 the Fire Service said its team’s exits of fire stations were within 20 seconds of receipt of a call for service.
Fires and flights
Firefighters also responded to 16 landfill fires, as well as 240 brush fires.
There were also three call-outs to incidents involving CUC power lines or transformers.
“This operational data is critical to support the service target prevention and training activities linked to our predominant risk areas,” the annual report stated.
The Fire Service’s aviation section, located by the Owen Roberts International Airport, attended six emergencies and seven standbys.
Throughout the year, it also assisted in 20 emergency medical evacuations.
Fire Service personnel had 128 aircraft refuelling standbys last year and provided the required crewing and operational fire-and-rescue cover at all three Cayman Islands airports during operating hours.
The department carried out 1,564 fire-safety inspections, 268 building-regulation consultations and 66 fire investigations during 2023.
Also, over the course of 2023, the Fire Service promoted 21 new sub-officers and hired 22 new firefighters.
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