The fire engine is back, MMC tours station

MMC for Public Safety, councillor Michael Sun recently took a tour of Midrand Fire Station accompanied by councillors, the Region A director, City of Johannesburg employees, members of the CPF, fire station personnel and members of Metro police.

The team identified general maintenance issues that required urgent attention, including the roof in parts of the station, office furniture, carpets which need cleaning and swimming pool renovations.

In the past few months, Midrand residents raised concerns about the fire engine which spent over six months in repairs, leaving the station to seek assistance from nearby stations when there was a fire in Midrand.

Sun assured, “Midrand now has a dedicated fire engine which is back from being repaired and, if this one goes for general maintenance again, we will make sure that there is another to replace it. The brand-new fire engines will be dispatched in April 2017 and they will be dispatched first into the most needed areas. Midrand is very big, one fire engine is not enough for the area.”

He expressed concern about the station’s state which required that certain things be refurbished and repaired and revealed that the budget to refurbish all fire stations in Johannesburg is only R2 million and it is not enough. “We urge the community to assist where they can by donating furniture and services such as carpet cleaning to the station, if possible, so that, together, we can give the place a great look.”

Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe and Ward 112 councillor Madeleine Hicklin also raised concerns about the state of the station. Deppe said, “The station’s fire fighting equipment is in a poor state, general office equipment too, is in a bad state, there is hardly enough furniture in the station. Firefighters need their basic facilities to work well when they come in after a shift and relax and recharge.”

The Community Policing Forum and businesses in Midrand were encouraged to make use of the station for meetings and that will, in turn, provide funds to revive the station.

Region A’s regional director, Abigail Ndlovu supported the use of the facility for meetings to assist in the upkeep of the station. She added, “If the fire station is fully functional it can be used as a model for other stations. For example, [if] the swimming pool can be fully functional, children can be trained to swim there.”

CPF chairperson, Steven Johnstone said the forum is willing to be involved if it is a joint venture and there is a mutual agreement, and called for the re-establishment of the crisis centre in Midrand.

Deputy director at the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Amon Kganyago also showed MMC Sun a box where the station is collecting sanitary towels for school girls which will be distributed in schools around Midrand.

Details: To donate furniture or other services towards the fire station or sanitary towels for schoolgirls, contact councillor Annette Deppe on 082 886 8519.