Turffontein Fire Station in urgent need of a fire engine

The Turffontein Fire Station has not had a fire engine for the past two and a half years.

Following the recent fires that ravaged the Booysens informal settlement, local councillors Tyrell Meyers and Michael Crichton went on an oversight visit to the station. They said they were shocked by their findings as not only does the station still not have a fire engine, but neither does the Kibler Park Fire Station.

“This means that when there is a fire anywhere in the southern suburbs, we must rely on a response from a fire station in another region that will take some time to get to the emergency and it could be too late and too fatal by the time they arrive in the southern suburbs.

“It was noted that only six of the 29 fire stations in Johannesburg have fire engines, which is a major concern. Fire engines from Lawley and Brixton had to respond to the recent fire at the Booysens informal settlement.

“It is imperative that there is a fire engine that is both based in and caters for the residents that live in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg, as too many properties have burnt down unnecessarily in recent years. I will be bringing a motion to Council to try and get a fire engine to the Turffontein Fire Station,” explained Crichton.

Also, Meyers concurred with the need for the Turffontein Fire Station getting a fire engine, he would be seconding the motion.

“My concern is the state of the museum, which is part of the fire station. The overpaid monies on PPE in some entities could easily ensure the fire station’s upkeep as well as uniforms for the EMS staff. This comes after last week’s council meeting where some departments in the City spent thousands of rands per unit for masks and sanitiser,” he said.

Mlimandlela Ndamase, the mayoral spokesperson, said the City has four to seven operational fire engines (first turn out vehicles) on any given day, and these are supported by several other fire emergency response and auxiliary vehicles.

“These are deployed strategically at fire stations throughout the City. On February 18 last year, the executive mayor decried the state of the City’s firefighting capacity and highlighted that the City required R330-million to adequately equip the 30 fire stations in the City and guarantee adequate service levels to the 5.5 million residents of the City.

“To add salt to the wound, the City, under the previous administration, paid for fire engines, which are yet to be delivered and whose procurement is the subject of ongoing litigation by losing bidders in the previous tender process.

A budget of R200-m was set aside by the City in the current financial year for the supply, delivery and maintenance of additional first turn out vehicle, but that procurement process has been adversely affected by the ongoing litigation. This process is being expedited and ought to commence soon.

“As an interim measure, the City has in place a Memorandum of Understanding with the cities of Ekurhuleni and Tshwane for support and assistance in cases of major fire emergencies where the City’s available resources may be inadequate to respond,” explained Ndamase.