Goedehoop helps fight fire risk
For the communities in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, veld fires and blazes in informal settlements are a regular occurrence during the high-risk winter months.
This year, the residents will be able to sleep more easily, thanks to a donation of firefighting and emergency rescue from heights equipment to the municipality by Coal SA’s Goedehoop Colliery.
The equipment, which was handed over before the Covid-19 lockdown started, included two skid units for fire-fighting and two basic first responder team sets for rescuing people from heights.
A skid unit is a self-contained piece of fire-fighting equipment mounted on an off-road vehicle or trailer, so that emergency workers can reach areas that are inaccessible to large fire trucks.
“This equipment significantly improves our ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies, and attend to several simultaneous emergencies,” said the municipality’s Deputy Fire Chief Felicity Monareng.
Structural and veld fires are a major challenge in communities around our operation, with most people relying on solid fuels and flammable substances to provide energy for cooking and heating.
Goedehoop has an integrated approach to emergency preparedness and response, not just for its own operation but in our host communities.
“This collaboration enables us and the municipality to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies, thereby mitigating harm to workers, community members and the environment,” says Human Resources Manager Michael Dugmore.
The Steve Tshwete Local Municipality has the distinction of being Mpumalanga’s top performing municipality in respect of service delivery and is ranked fourth-best in the country overall. This is something that Executive Mayor Cllr BJ Tolo attributes to broader reliable partnerships, like those with Goedehoop.
Coal SA’s employee and community initiatives in Mpumalanga form part of Anglo American’s wide-ranging Community Response Plan (CRP) to ensure the health and well-being of the employees.
