The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) Emergency Management Services (EMS) has taken delivery of three new fire engines which will serve Malvern, the CBD and Berea.
CoJ took delivery of the three vehicles on February 20 and will take receive an additional two fire engines before the end of this financial year.
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The new fire engine serving Malvern will be placed at Fairview Fire Station.
This comes after residents raised concerns regarding the city’s ability to secure their safety in the context of an increased number of fire outbreaks.
“The procurement and possession of the first batch of fire engines will ensure that the city is able to alleviate much of the pressure that has been placed on our emergency services,” said executive mayor, Clr Herman Mashaba. “The city is able to respond timeously to emergencies and most importantly, save lives.”
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The arrival of the first batch of fire engines is part of a bigger plan to replace the entire ageing fleet across various fire stations.
The mayor said the city has experienced an alarming growth in population over the past five years, putting a strain on already over-stretched resources.
On average the city’s emergency command centre receives over 25 000 emergency calls a month.
An assessment of the current fleet was conducted, and the city is in the process of procuring more fire engines.
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The next two fire engines to be delivered will be placed at Jabulani Fire Station to cover areas in Soweto.
