THE FATHER of one of six firemen killed in last week’s Mari naval base blast yesterday accused the Fire Service of failing to follow protocol, leading to the deaths of 13 people.
Michalis Theofilou, father of Panayiotis Theofilou, killed at the blast on July 11, called on Attorney-general Petros Clerides and Justice Minister Loucas Louca to investigate whether any disciplinary and criminal offences were committed as a result of the “criminal decisions, actions and omissions of the fire service officers involved in this tragic incident”.
Theofilou noted that storage of the 98 munitions-filled containers by the National Guard was “illegal, irregular and improper”, adding that the ministries of defence and foreign affairs have full responsibility for this, he said.
However, the fire service also has a lot to answer for, he added.
According to Theofilou, the fire service was asked by the defence minister to go to the site to inspect the containers at Mari and provide a risk assessment and suggest measures to protect against fire.
The fire service deputy chief went to the site with the head of EMAK (Special Unit dealing with Catastrophes on July 6, 2011. During the inspection, the fire officials found that two containers had altered their structure as a result of gun powder that had been activated inside the containers, said the father.
The fire service proposed certain measures but according to Theofilou, from July 6 until the day of the explosion on July 11 no action was taken to tackle the specific risks of an explosion. Also, neither EMAK officials nor the naval base was informed of the results of their inspection, he argued.
Given that the naval base fell within the responsibility of EMAK in the event of fire, “an action plan should have been in place, based on police orders, and the internal regulations of the fire service,” he said.
On the fateful day, EMAK was notified of explosions at Mari at 4.27am. The special unit sent two cars containing one sergeant and five firemen, including Theofilou’s son. The EMAK head and fire service deputy chief were also informed.
Given that the latter two were aware of the dangers, the father yesterday asked why the sergeant sent to Mari was not informed or instructed to implement standard operational procedures in such circumstances, which stipulate setting up safety distances for the response team of 1,600m.
“They should have checked the procedures and made an evacuation, which if they did, would have only resulted in material damage and minor injuries, that is, if they had implemented the correct procedures,” said Theofilou.
He added: “The philosophy of rescue is ‘I risk life to save a life, I don’t risk life to save property’.”
Theofilou said he will ask the AG today to request a report from a committee of firefighting experts from the UK regarding the fire service’s involvement, given that the Cyprus fire service is based on the English model and has the same operational procedures.
He expressed disappointment that no one has been arrested or suspended from their duties since last week’s explosion to ensure that witnesses or evidence are not tampered with.
