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Squalid conditions and overdue overtime pay addressed, ends stalemate between Airport firemen and Airports Authority
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, Friday March 23, 2018 – Firemen of the Grand Turk airport today took an action that caused significant inconvenience and revenue loss to people, passengers and businesses but it seems, their sit out will bring resolve to a list of long-standing issues, including at least one which dates back nearly 10 years.
A team of Cabinet and Airports Authority board officials were aboard the only flight allowed into Grand Turk today; a Caicos Express Airways charter brought the group of seven from Providenciales to meet with the 18 fire men and women of the JAGS McCartney International Airport. 
The meeting was called as an urgent matter as the TCIAA scrambled to get the airport in the Capital reopened to commercial flights and the dozens of passengers who were left stranded.
The plight of the fire crew was exposed and what the country saw was nothing short of unimaginable working conditions for a group of professionals, who in other countries are often hailed as heroes.
A rusted and dirty old container has been the office space for the fire crew for years. It was given to the group when Hurricane Ike, back in 2008, destroyed their building.
An advocate for the group, former Chief Minister and PDA Leader Oswald Skippings shared that the workers not only had to fight off mosquitoes in the broken down container, but have caught snakes which have slithered inside the open doorway.
We were told that dogs often spend the night in the makeshift office. 
The container is severely dilapidated in the photos Magnetic Media has seen; the photos have been verified as authentic. There is no electricity and each day the crew is made to work in the spot from as early as 5am, through the grueling heat of the day, all without restroom facilities.
It has been labeled as the most inhumane conditions.
At one point, the officials waited up to two hours to meet with the fire crew which was adamant that they wanted their representatives in on the session. This demand was however refused by Minister of Home Affairs, Delroy Williams who led the contingent on behalf of the Premier, who is the Minister responsible for airports.
Minister Williams explained to Magnetic Media that the selected representatives were of an unorthodox nature and were not seen as a necessary part of the meeting. Two of the individuals standing with the firemen are lead members of opposition political parties and the third is a former Governor’s Office appointee to the House of Assembly.
At one point, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police were dispatched and appeared on the scene.
It caused an already tense situation to become even more strained but eventually, with not all of the firemen present, there was some discussion.
The TCIAA tonight reported that the haphazard meeting resulted in information to the firemen that they had already received outstanding overtime pay and the release explained that a solution is coming to their workplace accommodation.
“The delay in the relocation of the Fire Service was due in part to the fire in the Control Tower as the location had to be used to temporarily accommodate Air Traffic Services to facilitate flight operations in Grand Turk.”
The explanation still does not justify the 10-year lapse in ending firemen working in such squalid conditions.
The firemen also want proper lighting for the area and they want to feel as if they are respected members of the TCIAA team when it comes to their permanence with the Authority. 
Mr. Skippings said it is unfair that the fire men and women are the only staffers of the TCIAA on contracts which are renewed, in some cases on an annual or half-yearly basis. He said this offers the firemen no stability or job security.
It was explained that uniforms are not regularly provided and are insufficient given the long hours the fire crew is scheduled to work.
Public outcry varied but generally comments cried terrible shame on all government administrations over the past 10 years which have allowed the fire crew’s troubles to go unresolved.
This includes five governors, four premiers and one executive body of the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority.
It is unclear if the JAGS McCartney International Airport will resume regular flight operations tomorrow, though the TCIAA promised that it would be diligently working to make that happen.