Fire alert alarms also installed in Joe Slovo informal settlement
Winter is approaching, which means a spike in shack fires.
But, due to the recent donation of fire detectors, these high statistics should be extinguished, starting from this year.
The Advertiser recently reported on Emmanuel January, who donated more than 350 of these fire detectors to four informal settlements in ward 32: Blue-Sky, Kalamazoo, Cinderella Hostel and Boksburg East Station.
The last of the detectors – about 100 – were donated to the Joe Slovo informal settlement, in Reiger Park, on Sunday, March 6.
Due to the shortfall in the number of units in relation to the number of shacks, elderly and vulnerable households were the first priority when it came to receiving a unit.
These detectors are networked within a 60m radius so that, in the event of a fire, all devices in the range will ring together, enabling a community-wide response to the danger.
This buys time for communities to become proactive in a rapidly spreading fire risk situation.
Erster Madonsela, a recipient of the unit, said: “I am so happy about this great initiative, because I know it will not help only me, but the community at large to reduce the number of shack fires.”
According to Alfred Woodington, a member of the ward 32 committee, these detectors could soon be linked to the nearest fire station’s control room.
“We hope that the local authority will take note of this initiative and extend it to other informal settlements, as well as incorporating it into their disaster management system,” he said.
