Don’t panic – more fire engines on their way
"We are trying to run this beast called the fire department as well as we possibly can."
After discovering that the Krugersdorp Fire Department only had one running fire engine, the News wrote an article about the status of the fleet and the public’s response to the matter.
However, just after the article was published, Elias Koloi, executive manager of Public Safety in the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) invited the News to visit his office.
The reason for the meeting was simple – he wanted to explain how the WRDM fire and rescue service worked.
“The West Rand Fire Department works as a combined entity, which means all the fire stations – Kagiso, Mogale City, Magaliesburg, and Muldersdrift are run by one fire department,” Koloi said. “Each of the stations has its own set of vehicles ranging from 4×4 Land Cruisers to Fire Engines. If for instance Kagiso experiences a fire and the vehicles deployed from the Kagiso Fire Station need assistance, the Department can send any number of vehicles from other stations to assist in fighting the fire.”
When, for example, one station’s vehicles are towed in for services or repairs, as in the case with Mogale City Fire Department, any neighbouring fire station can therefore cover the area for the time being.
“Our resources are limited. This is why we share our resources between stations and support each other like a family.”
He added that it is difficult to manage a fire station with money coming from grants because none of the equipment is cheap.
“We are trying to run this beast called the fire department as well as we possibly can. To replace a fire engine is not an easy or cheap task. We have to build one from scratch and some of the parts are imported and thus more expensive. The chassis specifically costs hundreds of thousands of rands, because it is an imported product.”
According to Koloi, a station has to use its fire engines for more than 10 years before the department will replace them due to age.
“Mogale City’s fire engines are still young and must therefore be repaired, and not replaced,” Koloi said. “Nonetheless, Mogale City Fire Department will get six rescue vehicles in February.”
Until the new vehicles arrive, Koloi will use other stations’ vehicles to assist in fighting fires in Mogale City. Another matter he addressed was dealing with fires in outlying areas such as Magaliesburg and Muldersdrift. He said the department is working on plans to try to close the gap between neighbouring fire stations to ensure all areas are covered.
The fire department has also started to build fire houses. They are not as big as stations or departments, but house vehicles for areas where it would take a long time for firemen to reach a fire. Netcare Pinehaven, for example, is a house where the fire department keeps a fire engine and a rescue vehicle for the Muldersdrift area.
“Like any grant-functioning entity, we have our fair share of problems; however, the community can rest assured that we are doing whatever we can to improve our services and expand our reach to keep our community safe.
“This is why I don’t want the community to panic. We are one department and we do have other fire engines. We will help you. I always tell my firemen, if there is a fire, and you don’t have a vehicle, you get on a bicycle and pedal till you get there to help the people concerned.”
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