The sounds of sirens pierced the  morning air as paramedics and the Fire Brigade rushed to the Department of Labour (DoL) offices on Victoria Street.
The reason for their arrival wasn’t a fire though, as many passersby assumed, but merely a safety drill.
The DoL is conducting safety drills at all their offices, ensuring that staff and emergency services are prepared.
Two weeks ago the labour office in Vryheid became the victim of a fire. 
While staff were a bit slow in responding to the ‘fire’, the EMS and the Fire Department were in fine form, responding to the matter promptly. 
The first Fire Brigade vehicle responded to the scene six minutes after they were called out, while EMS took five minutes to get there. 
Chief Security Officer from the DoL, Sicelo Msomi, thanked all the stakeholders for their involvement in the fire drill. 
He was pleased with the response times and the effort by the services. Disaster Manager Mr Zulu also praised the reaction times of the services, saying that they haver improved since the municipality took over. 
He also thanked the DoL for implementing the drill.