In an effort to curb the usual rise in fire-related injuries in informal settlements during the winter months, the City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) launched its annual Winter Safety Campaign.
According to the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety, councillor Michael Sun, despite the significant reduction to 332 shack fires in the 2017 to 2018 financial year from over 500 during the 2016 winter season, EMS continues to strengthen its proactive fire safety measures in an effort to reduce these fire incidents. These unforeseen circumstances are preventable if proper cooking and lighting equipment is used and households know how to identify any fire risks.
EMS has also found a recent trend of damaging fires being caused during domestic disputes. Illegal electrical connections pose another serious concern which often results in people, especially young people, being electrocuted and possibly killed.
As part of their recent door-to-door campaign in informal settlements, EMS introduced basic fire safety education as well as taking part in the Department’s Community Emergency Response Team programme. They were trained in basic emergency response, fire safety, burn wound dressing, CPR, and the critical Bucket Brigade where community members form a human chain and use buckets of water or sand to extinguish fires.
“Fires, especially in informal settlements, can lead to unnecessary deaths and loss of property, leaving communities in a vulnerable state. I therefore urge the residents of Johannesburg to heed the fire safety tips given by the EMS in their daily lives,” the MMC said.
· Refrain from using cooking equipment, such as Primus stoves, that are not SABS approved and can lead to explosions that start fires
· Exercise care when highly flammable materials are used in open fires and braziers. These energy sources can lead to death especially when inhaled as toxic smoke
· Place candles in proper candleholders or flat surfaces to prevent them from falling over
· Ensure electrical appliances are switched off and candles are blown out before going to bed
