Where are the fire hydrants?

The Democratic Alliance‘s motion to have all fire hydrants in the Joburg Metro mapped, has been approved. Does the West Rand need the same motion?

According to the Head of Public Safety and chief fire officer at the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM), Elias Koloi, the district’s fire brigade already has maps and a system to establish where each fire hydrant is.

He said the hydrants are inspected regularly by firefighters. A fire hydrant is a fire protection measure and a connection point by which firefighters can tap into for water supply.

In Krugersdorp West the fire hydrants no longer have their original red thick tubed shape, but now look like thin water pipes. The hydrants are built according to the population density in an area.

Koloi said each municipality is responsible for the fire hydrants in their area. But when a property is bought and developed privately, the owner of that property is responsible for the building regulations, which might need them to put up a fire hydrant.

“But we do face a problem with aging water infrastructure such as asbestos pipes,” he said.

“The pipes can burst if the fire brigade vehicle does not extract the water correctly.”

Read: [VIDEO] Elderly, blind man dies in house fire

Apart from fretting about the nearest fire hydrant, there are other precautionary steps to take before a fire might break out in your home.

Install a carbon monoxide fire detector. Having a smoke detector is a safe, effective and unobtrusive way of protecting a home or business against the dangers of fire. It acts as an early warning against a potential fire hazard.

The detector will pick up smoke or a smouldering fire and not a naked flame.

People should consider installing this key preventative measure. Consider linking your detector to an armed response service. An alarm notification will be sent to the control room when smoke is detected.

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• No response from Fire Department