City installs life-saving devices

The City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) is committed to building communities that are resilient in the face of disasters such as fires and medical emergencies.

The EMS, together with the City of Johannesburg, has started an initiative in which smoke detectors are being installed in various informal settlements throughout the metropole. A total of more than 1 000 smoke detectors have already been installed, and 148 old age homes have benefitted from the programme too.

According to the EMS spokesperson, Robert Mulaudizi, it is a well known fact that shack fires occur more during the winter months, where most residents in the informal settlements do not have access to electricity and rely on paraffin stoves for cooking and heating. The EMS is not taking any chances and is being proactive by installing these devices early, the most recent being the 50 homes in Zandspruit where these life-saving devices have been fitted. The residents were also trained by the EMS officers to perform basic fire-fighting and first aid. They were also drafted into the community emergency response team.

The aim of the initiative smoke detectors in all 189 informal settlements within the jurisdiction of the CoJ. Their goal is to provide more than 3 000 smoke detectors over the next three years to vulnerable communities. “We have identified areas where the smoke detectors will be installed, and Princess informal settlement in Roodepoort is one of them,” said Mulaudzi.

The detectors will contribute to a reduction in the number of fire-related injuries and fatalities, as they can detect smoke in less than 15 seconds after a fire starts. This does not only help to raise the alarm during a fire hazard quickly – it also lessens the level of smoke inhalation. The majority of fire-related deaths occur at night and the victims are often small children and the elderly. The smoke detectors provide an all-important early warning, allowing people time to escape.

“The biggest killer in a home fire is smoke. When people are asleep, the smell of smoke isn’t enough to wake them up.

In fact, the toxic smoke can cause the occupants to go into an even deeper sleep, until breathing stops altogether,” said Mulaudzi.

Mulaudzi concluded by saying, “Fire safety is everyone’s responsibility. We hope that this initiative will help communities to understand that fires can be prevented.”

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