ALBERTON – It is a fact that residents of informal settlements are the most vulnerable to fires, which result in death and destruction of the little property that these communities may have.
Fires are to be expected during the harsh cold winter months as temperatures plummet and leave people with no choice but to initiate ways of keeping warm – mainly turning to candles, paraffin and gas stoves and heaters, and braziers (mbawulas) for heat.
Unfortunately, while these may be effective, they also pose a danger to communities if not properly administered. Residents throughout the City of Ekurhuleni have seen lives, including those of innocent children; lost as fires swept through our informal settlements in the past.
Thus the City has seen fit to introduce an army of Community Emergency Response Teams in each one of its informal settlements. Last week, 600 volunteer workers were introduced during the launch of the Pre-Winter Fire Awareness Campaign at the Delmore informal settlement in Boksburg.
Over the weekend, the orange-clad forces embarked on an intense door-to-door campaign, spreading the message on winter fire safety and prevention. Over 100 informal communities were visited on Saturday and Sunday.
Member of Mayoral Committee for Community Safety, Cllr Mthuthuzeli Siboza, stated that according to the outcome of the Disaster Risks and Vulnerability Assessment carried out in August 2007, the risk of fire incidents in informal settlements in Ekurhuleni is very high.
“It has also been proven that these fires take place during the winter season, and that these can be attributed to unsafe cooking, heating and lighting methods; unattended open fires between shacks, veld fires, arson and illegal electricity connections among others,” said Siboza at the launch.
“Unfortunately, as a city the threat of shack fires will remain with us for some time considering that we have 119 informal settlements in our space – hence our strategic intervention in the form of the Ekurhuleni Pre-Winter Fire Awareness Campaign, dubbed Together Let’s Save Lives and Property by Preventing Fires.”
The main objective of this campaign is to educate people about safety so that they do not only prevent these fires, but are in a position to defend themselves and their property as and when the need arises.
The 600 volunteers will provide a link between communities and professional teams in a case of a fire; support community safety through door-to-door fire safety education; enhance preparedness of the their areas for disasters and enhance their resilience to crisis situations; and to educate communities on how to effectively respond to emergencies and fires, while awaiting the City’s emergency services teams.
