Pre-Winter fire awareness campaign launched

As the temperatures begin to drop residents of the informal settlements throughout the metro become more vulnerable as they begin to search for means to keep warm.

These sources of heat, candles, paraffin, gas stoves, heaters, and braziers (mbawulas), if unattended, can result in fires that could cause death and/or the destruction of the little property that these communities may have.

“Unfortunately while these may be effective sources of heat, they also pose a danger to communities if not properly administered.

“Residents throughout the metro have seen lives, including those of innocent children; vanish as fires swept through our informal settlements in the past.

“Thus, the metro has seen it fit to introduce an army of community emergency response teams in each one of the informal settlements.

“Recently, 600 volunteer workers were introduced to the community during the launch of the Pre-Winter Fire Awareness Campaign at the Delmore informal settlement in Boksburg,” said Mandlakazi Mpahlwa-Sigcawu divisional head of media relations.

Over the weekend, the orange-clad forces embarked on an intense door-to-door campaign, spreading the message on winter fire safety and prevention to over 100 informal communities.

“According to the outcome of the disaster risks and vulnerability assessment carried out in 2007 and 2008, the risk of fire incidents in informal settlements in the metro is very high.

“It has also been proven that these fires take place during the winter season and that these can be attributed to unsafe cooking, heating and lighting methods; unattended open fires between shacks, veld fires, arson and illegal electricity connections among others.

“Unfortunately as a city the threat of shack fires will remain with us for some time considering that we have 119 informal settlements within the metro, hence, our strategic intervention in the form of the Ekurhuleni Pre-Winter Fire Awareness Campaign dubbed “Together Let’s Save Lives and Property by Preventing Fires,” said member of mayoral committee for community safety, Clr Mthuthuzeli Siboza.

The main objective of this campaign is educating people in fire safety so that they do not only prevent these fires, but are in a position to defend themselves and their property as and when the need arises.