Lonehill fire truck unable to help in Monte Pollino fire due to current engine repairs
FOURWAYS – MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun, gives insight on the Lonehill Fire Department's engine fleet conditions
After a fire broke out at a house in Beverley at the Monte Pollino complex, the neighbouring Diepsloot Fire Station came to the rescue, because Lonehill did not have a fire truck available at the time.
Councillor David Foley confirmed that the Lonehill fire engine is currently being repaired and that he has escalated the matter to the MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun, to ensure that repairs are expedited.
READ: Monte Pollino goes up in flames
Sun said, “It is not uncommon that when fire engines from one station are out on another call or in for maintenance that the station will be supported by the nearest, next available station. We are working very hard to have our aging fire engine fleet replaced and we’re hoping that the delivery of the new fleet will commence within the month of June, when we should see an improvement in the response times.”
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The Chief Executive Officer of the Fourways Improvement initiative, Nic Papas explained that the community was taken aback by the tardy response from the Lonehill Fire Department, but that as a community they can turn this into a positive.
“If we, as the Fourways community, can rally together to send supplies to the Knysna fire victims, we can rally together to aid and better the situation at the Lonehill Fire Department.” Papas plans to go to the Lonehill Fire Department to ask them what they need so that the problem can be solved.
Sun confirmed that the city has placed an order for 26 new fire engines and the suppliers are currently building them. “We have been pressing on the suppliers to deliver them as quickly as they can, but the contractual delivery date is the end of October 2017.”
Sun explained that once they have the new fire engines delivered to the stations they will be able to take the older engines and re-manufacture or re-condition them as back-up vehicles. “Eventually we’ll have two vehicles for the fire stations,” said Sun.
This is a lengthy process as these are specialised vehicles that need to be built. Sun ensured and concluded that while this is happening, stations will support each other in case of emergencies if there is ever a lack of available fire engines.
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