Plot community band together to fight fires

As the temperatures drop and the grasslands transform into a golden brown hue, the 65 active HELM members brace themselves as the need to leap into action grows.

The community-driven emergency response team, which currently serves about 600 agricultural holding households throughout Marister, Benoni AH, Zesfontein and surrounds, was established 35 years ago.

It was formerly known as the Marister Radio Network, which primarily served as a community watch group.

After actively becoming involved in 1994, HELM chairperson Alan Mallinick noted that the group’s activities extended beyond ensuring the community’s safety with many winter call-outs requiring swift action in combatting run-away veld fires.

“Given our location and unrelenting roads, we identified a need to extend our focus to include fire response and prevention services,” said Mallinick.

“Banding together our resources and plot dweller ingenuity we custom-made water trailers and willing members raised their hands to undergo fire-safety training. This was a game-changer for the community.”

He said that the diversification of its services seemed to have come at just the right time.

“With the establishment of the Ekurhuleni Metro, service delivery steadily started dwindling,” he said.

“Response times to reports of fires had become increasingly long and unreliable, often leading to extensive property damage.”

For the past 15 years, the team of residents have dedicated their time, skills and expertise to not only responding and assisting with seasonal fires but ensuring the safety of their community.

Under the guidance of Alan Mallinick and his team of volunteers, HELM effectively extinguish approximately 100 fires each winter, with equipment they procure or custom-build.

Mallinick alleged that the DEMS lack of maintained resources further prompted the community-driven initiative to expand its services.

“Reliable sources estimate that 80% of the city’s emergency response vehicles are out of commission,” he said.

“I think the figure is conservative and could be higher. It puts the lives and properties of thousands of residents at stake.”

Fire stations
William Ntladi, DEMS district manager media liaison, explained that Benoni has three fire stations operated and managed by the City of Ekurhuleni.

The fire stations are Benoni Central Fire Station on Harpur Avenue, Rynfield Fire Station on Pretoria Road, and Farrermere Fire Station on Sapphire Street.

All three fire stations fall under different operational districts and are not grouped per city.

“Ekurhuleni has 30 fire stations in total and its services are demarcated into three regions of the metro, known as Eastern, Northern and Southern,” said Nltadi.

“The fire stations are sub-divided into these districts which means that not each city’s fire stations are grouped within the same district. Benoni Central, for instance, also renders services in Brakpan and Tsakane according to its district demarcation.

“The groupings were determined to facilitate shorter response times.”

He said that each of the Benoni-based fire stations is equipped with a minimum of one fire engine and 10 operational firefighters, per shift. Four shifts are rotated daily.

“Resources are allocated by continuous risk evaluations,” said Ntladi.

“Basic fire engines are allocated per station while specialised engines such as water tankers, foam tenders, hytrans as well as specialised multiple rescue tender and Hazmat units are strategically placed based on the city’s risk assessment.”

Frustrating
Responding to the question of whether DEMS undertakes preventative fire prevention operations such as conducting controlled burns and creating fire breaks, Ntladi said preparations are conducted by DEMS’ public information education and relations division who proactively educate communities about fire safety practices.

Information packs are available from fire stations on request.

“Operational firefighters reactively respond to fire alerts, resources required is determined by the magnitude of the emergency,” he said.

Jonty Cornes, active HELM member and Marister resident said that it is frustrating that fire services are no longer rendered within city borders.

“These are essential services we as residents pay for, centralising services according to districts could mean disaster for those needing assistance,” said Cornes.

“I joined HELM to give back to my community, but our operations have become a lifeline for many because those tasked with rendering these services cannot respond timeously. Bureaucracy is robbing citizens of life-saving services.”

In case of a life-threatening emergency call the centralised DEMS call centre on 011 458 0911.

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