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"We will not stop until every lost life receives the dignity they deserve"

Tuesday 13 December 2022

"We will not stop until every lost life receives the dignity they deserve"

Tuesday 13 December 2022


Specialist firefighters, paramedics and other personnel searching the site of the Pier Road explosion have moved to 12-hour rotations and their welfare is a key priority, Jersey's Fire Chief has said.

Giving an update on Monday evening, more than 61 hours after a three-storey block was destroyed, killing at least five islanders, Paul Brown said those involved in the search and recovery operation would not stop until every person who has lost their life “receives the dignity and care they deserve”.

Mr Brown added that the specialist teams who had flown in from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on Saturday would remain in the island “for as long as it takes” and there were no plans for the units to scale back their contribution.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown.png

Pictured: States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Chief Officer Paul Brown.

He said that he was immensely proud of the work that the emergency services were doing and that all procedures were being followed when it came to looking after the wellbeing of personnel, which including having trained welfare personnel on site.

“We are firmly focused on the current recovery phase, although I am also talking to my colleagues on the National Fire Chief Council to prepare for the next phases, which includes a full investigation of what happened.

“However, as the Police Chief said over the weekend, this search could take weeks to complete because the site remains a very hazardous place.”

Chief Officer Brown said that his service’s call to Haut du Mont on Friday evening at 20:36 was still being investigated. The fire crew had left at 21:01, he added.

Gas supplier Islands Energy Group confirmed on Monday that a gas engineer had been called up by the Fire and Rescue Service on Friday evening, as is standard procedure when a suspected gas leak is reported, and had attended the site.

Follow Express for updates and today's JEP for further in-depth coverage of the fall-out from last week's tragedies...

READ MORE...

◆ LIVE UPDATES: Major recovery operation underway after Pier Road explosion

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