Fire service calls for release of Morris-Julian report

Lisa Morris-Julian -

Fire Service Association Head Keone Guy is repeating calls for the report into the death of former Arima MP Lisa Morris-Julian and her two children to be released to the public. He made the statement after Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander officially cleared the fire service of any blame in the matter on December 12.

Speaking to Newsday via telephone on December 15, two days after Morris-Julian’s family called for the report to be made public, Guy said he appreciated the minister’s comments and the timing in which they were made, as the fatal fire took place on December 16, 2024.

“The fire officers had already known, within the fire service it was already known the officers acted in accordance with the standard operating procedures that are available as well as the equipment they had on hand.

“What we’ve always held to is that given the scope of the investigating team, led by Mr Bruce, we always felt that it would have been important for the report, at least the findings and its recommendations, that those elements would be made public.”

The autopsy said Morris-Julian, her daughter Xianne, 25, and son Jesiah, six, died from smoke inhalation at their Farfan Street, Arima, home. The fire station was within walking distance of the home.

The report, prepared by a three-member committee comprising former chief fire officer Roosevelt Bruce, Occupational Safety and Health Authority chairman Curt Cadette, and attorney Ashtie Mahabir, investigated the circumstances of the fire and the fire service’s response.

It was laid in Cabinet on January 10. Alexander said a decision was made at that level to keep the report out of the public domain.

Guy commended the family members for their call for the report to be made public.

“I want to commend them for showing tremendous resolve at a time when I’m certain it’s quite difficult and they’ve had extreme difficulty moving past the loss of their loved ones.

“So given now that the family members are also calling for the release of the report, we think that there’s no longer a concern as to how the release of that information would impact them and as a result, we expect this government, which has indicated it is committed to transparency, will use this as an opportunity to show they are indeed sticking to their promises.”

He said the association had never seen the report and believed the service and the society would benefit from its publication.

“We’ve made the recommendation that the more sensitive elements be redacted, as to the cause of death and so on. However, as it pertains to any shortcomings identified, be it by any agency, the fire service, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), or any other responder, that those elements be released, as well as any other recommendations along with it.”

Alexander had told Newsday on December 12 he would consider sharing the report with the family and making it public if they agreed. Calls and messages to him went unanswered up to press time.