With the arrival of winter, fire safety is once again in the spotlight.Many were left homeless in the Mangolongolo informal settlement after a recent fire.
The emergency management services encourages people, especially those living in informal settlements, to be vigilant.
Residents are also urged to not be negligent when dealing with flammable items.
“During winter we experience an increase in the number of fire incidents. Most of these fires are caused by heating and lighting appliances, which our communities use, like heaters, imbaula, candles and paraffin stoves,” said the EMS media liaison officer, Mr Richard Mulaudzi.
The City of Johannesburg’s EMS introduced a Jozi Safety Kit initiative in 2009 to reduce the number of fire incidents and fatalities.
“About 1 000 households in various informal settlements across the City of Johannesburg will be receiving the Jozi Safety Kit during June. Denver will be one of the settlements to benefit from the campaign,” said Mr Mulaudzi.
The Jozi Safety Kit consists of a Para-Safe stove which extinguishes itself in the event of excessive movement, a paraffin container with a safety cap, a smoke detector which serves as an early warning system, a burn kit to treat minor burns, a lantern light and a 25 litre bucket which can be used to store water which can be used as an extinguishing agent.
According to the EMS, the campaign has made a difference in reducing incidents and fatalities.
“Since the introduction of the Jozi Safety Kit, we have seen a reduction of about 42 percent of fire incidents and fatalities throughout the City of Johannesburg’s informal settlements. We hope that with this handover we will be able to have a reduction of about 50 percent,” said Mr Mulaudzi.
Safety tips:
r Keep candles away from children; a child should not be left unattended in a room with a candle. Store candles, matches and lighters out of the reach of children, avoid carrying a lit candle and a candle should not be used in a confined space.
r A glass jar will provide more light and if sand is placed at the bottom of the jar, the candle will die when it reaches the sand.
r If you use paraffin lamps, make sure the flame is protected; put your paraffin stove on a flat surface where it can’t fall or get knocked over.
r Always remember to never go to bed or outside if a candle or paraffin lamp is still burning. Switch off heaters and stoves at the plug before going to bed or out, and always extinguish cigarettes carefully.
