Loyse Vincent
Tobago's senior fire officials are chiding Progressive Democratic Patriots' (PDP) leader Watson Duke for misinforming the public about the amount of oxygen available at the scene of the drowning of two teenagers at the Argyle Waterfalls on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference at the PDP’s office in Scarborough, on Wedmesday, the PDP leader, who also represents the Roxborough/Delaford area, said one of the individuals showed signs of life when they were retrieved from the water.
“There were eyes their rolling and coughing, however the fire service which was the first responders at the scene ... attempted to resuscitate the individual ( but )there was no oxygen,” Duke claimed.
However, Divisional Fire Officer Tobago Operations David Joseph-Thomas said Duke was misinformed.
He said in the first instance, the responders needed to "get water out of the person's lungs and stomach, not (give )oxygen."
He said as one of the first persons on the scene, officers did everything they could to save the lives of the persons who died.
“We made extensive efforts at resuscitating the individual but the pupils of the eyes were already fixed and dilated which means that the brain had absolutely no oxygen,” Joseph-Thomas said
Concerning Duke's claim about a lack of oxygen at the scene, Thomas refuted Duke’s claims saying: “We have oxygen so I don’t know what Mr. Duke is talking about.”
Meanwhile, Duke called on the Minister of National Security Stuart Young to do better for the national security service providers in Tobago.
Duke claimed that security providers are “being asked to do a perfect job with imperfect resources.”
The PDP leader also claimed that the foam machine at the Crown Point Fire Station is also not working and this caused the ANR Robinson International Airport to be downgraded. While Duke claims the allegations are being kept “hush hush” officials at the ANR Robinson International Airport report there has been no downgrade of the facility.