Fighting against shack fires

Ekurhuleni advises residents to have at least a 20lt bucket full of water in their homes before going to sleep.

William Ntladi, Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services media liaison officer, says many shack fires could have been extinguished in time, if residents practiced the bucket brigade system.

This is the system which helps communities to fight a fire before the arrival of the emergency services on the scene.

“Residents, each with a 20lt bucket full of water, form a line from the street to the burning shack to help fight fire before it goes out of control,” says Ntladi.

As the first bucket is emptied, the person carrying it refills it and returns to the back of the line.

He reveals that, already, this year, there have been several shack and house fires, as well as business structures which have burnt down.

However, the number of reported fires is reducing over the years, since the implementation of the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) programme in 2013, within different informal settlements in Ekurhuleni.

Ntladi explains that the CERT program is aimed at educating residents about how to fight and prevent shack fires.

He says the number of team members trained by Ekurhuleni for each informal settlement depends on its size.

The programme was initiated with about 200 members and now has a total of 600 members.”

Ntladi says that, of 119 registered informal settlements within Ekurhuleni, each has at least five CERT programme members.

Ntladi explains that the aim of the programme is to educate communities on fire-related emergencies.

He concludes by encouraging residents to avoid leaving burning heaters unattended and to call 011 458 0911 for any life-threatening emergency situations.