Suburb does have fire hydrants

CYRIL FARR of Bonaero Park writes:

Fairly regularly we see tragic news reports in Express concerning homes in Kempton Park which have been completely gutted by fire, rendering the occupants homeless.

Sometimes their are accusations of a slow response by the fire brigade, or deficient fire fighting equipment being responsible for the extensive damage to the property.

Of great concern is that I have noticed that there are absolutely no pavement fire hydrants in my suburb of Bonaero Park. I don’t know if that omission also applies to other Kempton Park suburbs. But surely the lack of such a crucial best practice fire combating aid is an awful indictment on Ekurhuleni, and the major Insurance companies should take them to task on the issue.

Part of the fire department’s mandate should be to put pressure on the council bureaucrats to install such crucial facilities and to make contact with the local communities to educate them on fire safety procedures and what useful precautionary systems can be privately purchased.

There are fairly inexpensive fire extinguishers available which are effective on all types of fires, including electrical and oil based blazes. Having one in the home and car could make the difference between being a victim of a calamitous fire tragedy.

There are also relatively inexpensive fire detectors with alarm, which are also very effective.

The glaring lack of success in fire education and poor fire fighting facilities is evident in the high amount of carnage in many squatter camps where whole settlements are regularly raised to the ground.

What is needed is for council and its emergency divisions to become proactive and professional in its duties.

Sam Modiba, metro spokesman, replies:

An inspection revealed there are fire hydrants in the street, most are underground and the signs for the fire hydrants are visible.

Unfortunately we cannot put fire hydrants at every house.

Here are the hydrants’ positions as identified on Carp Street: 34 (above ground), 48, 60, 74, 88, 105, 91, 115, 127, 139, 140.

There is a veld towards the end of the street, so the hydrants are enough to cater for any emergency.