Kempton’s new fire station

Joy and celebrations were the order of the day at the opening of the Albertina Sisulu Corridor Fire Station on Friday.

The opening of the R60-million fire station was led by Mayor of Ekurhuleni Mzwandile Masina.

The fire station, situated on the corner of Highveld Road and Bosch Street, is expected to give the much-needed emergency response to the rapidly developing Kempton Park and aerotropolis area.

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“Given the aerotropolis trajectory, which includes expanding the airport, there is an increased response by developers building along the Albertina Sisulu Corridor, which requires from the city an improved and efficient service alertness in terms of emergency response,” said Masina.

“The opening of this fire station is the realisation of a commitment that we made as a city to strengthen our disaster and emergency management services (DEMS) capacity. It is also a fulfilment of our commitment to facilitate equitable distribution of services and infrastructure.

“From the very onset of our commencement of office in 2016, we made plans to build fire stations across the city. So far, three fire stations have been opened in the city. In 2017, we opened the

Thokoza Fire Station, the following year, in 2018, we opened the Germiston Central Fire Station and today, we open this fire station.”

Masina also explained that these three fire stations are located in different geographic areas within the city, with Kempton Park being the north, Germiston being central and Thokoza being south-west.

“The reason for this spatial dispersion is to minimise response times for emergency vehicles for our communities, as well as to ensure uniform development of our city in terms of infrastructure and service provision,” explained Masina.

“As you may have observed, this Albertina Sisulu Corridor Fire Station is situated near major routes, specifically the R21. The fire station will cover the Kempton Park CBD with its high-rise buildings, Glen Marais, OR Tambo International Airport and surrounding commercial and industrial warehousing areas.

“Covering these residential and commercial areas is important because they are within the vicinity of the R21 highway, which links the north and the N12 to the east and west of the city. More than this, the routes are high risk due to heavy trucks carrying and transporting dangerous goods, such as chemicals required in some industries and manufacturing goods.

“Prioritising emergency response within this corridor is critical. The Albertina Sisulu Corridor is a densely populated area, with a population of more than 56 000 people and more than 18 000 households. Within this corridor, we also have agricultural land. Any crisis that occurs there, without immediate response, could plunge a significant number of people into a state of food insecurity.”

Those present were also entertained by the performance of the Emergency Services Squad Drill throughout the short programme held before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Ward 16 councillor Jaco Terblanche was among those present and was happy with the opening of the fire station.

“This fire station is a dream to the community. We put this on the IDP and today, it is here. As the community and residents of the area, let us be happy and enjoy,” said Terblanche.

Ekurhuleni MMC for Community Safety Frans Mmoko congratulated the mayor and said, “We see you on the ground every day unveiling these infrastructure programmes. The City of Ekurhuleni is arguably the best city in the country that carries the statistics in terms of the infrastructure building programme.

“As the community safety department, we are well aware that for a city to grow its economy, it means you need to have a better-placed DEMS department to respond to the risks posed by this development. We are unveiling this structure, which is strategically placed next to one of the national key points and alongside the R21 corridor and for that, as the department, we’ve had to pause and revisit our risk analysis and thought of building this structure.”

Also sharing the same sentiments of appreciating projects realised and successfully executed under the mayor’s leadership was alderman Izak Berg, who also reflected on the five years of working with the mayor.

Masina added that the building of the fire station was also a local economic boost.

“Developing modern and world-class infrastructure is not only a response to disaster and emergency services’ needs, but it is also an investment geared towards local economic development.

“This provided a much-needed economic boost to the local community that benefited through employment opportunities, as well as SMMEs,” shared Masina.

“When resources circulate within the city, we effectively develop our local economy. More than this, the lives of our people are changed, since such developments create a multiplier effect that sees economic opportunities cascade to both the formal and informal economy in our city.

“It is important to mention that since 2016, in addition to the opening of fire stations, the city also acquired 17 specialised firefighting and rescue vehicles, adding to the existing capacity of DEMS.

“We are reassuring businesses and residents that we are ready to respond to emergencies when they arise. We are proclaiming that under our capable hands, the city will be protected from disasters to the very best of our ability.”

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