MunicipalNews

Joburg’s fire hydrant fiasco

HIGHLANDS NORTH - FOLLOWING the burning down of a home in Highlands North on 7 January, a potentially larger issue has come to light.

Joburg firefighters are struggling to control fires as hydrants regularly have their brass fittings stolen from them to be sold for scrap metal. Fire hydrants are generally located on the roads at 300m intervals to enable fire engines to connect to them for an additional source of much-needed water.

In an emergency, the damaged hydrants make this impossible which limits the amount of water they have available to bring fires under control.

Chris Thornton-Smith, a resident of Highlands North said, “This could happen to anyone and it is a huge issue, the people of Joburg should petition that all of fire hydrants are regularly checked in order to see if they are fully functional.”

Thornton-Smith suggested that fire engines carry a type of nylon fitting so that the fire hydrants can be accessed without the necessity of having brass fittings. He added, “This is not the fault of the firefighters as they responded well on 7 January where the fire took place in Highlands North, however another fire engine had to be called to the scene as they could not connect to the hydrant on the road.”

Robert Mulaudzi, the Joburg Emergency Services spokesman said, “We are encouraging residents of communities to come forward and report these issues. We are currently working on an amicable solution to this problem. It is high up on our list.

“We are urging residents of the community to report these issues to their ward councillors.”

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