A resident of Krugersdorp recently contacted the News in a panicked state to inform us that the only fire truck the Krugersdorp Fire Department had, was being towed from the fire station in Commissioner Street.
The resident sent many photos of the truck being towed from the premises.
In a rush to get at the source of the rumours, the News tried numerous times between Friday, 13 January and Wednesday, 18 January to get hold of the fire department to query their alleged vehicle shortage.
To our surprise, we found the contact details listed on their websites did not work. In our efforts to reach them on this important subject, we discovered their emergency line, 107, does not work either.
With no answer from the lines, the News resorted to other contacts for information. Another resident, who wished not to be named due to a connection with the fire department, said the department currently had many issues with vehicles, contact details and legislation.
“Our only fire truck was towed on that day because it was involved in a collision and the entire front cab needed to be replaced,” the source told the News. “One of our vehicle bays is empty and all that remains are the two Land Cruisers and a Iveco rescue vehicle.”
The Iveco allegedly has a 600l water tank and can extinguish a fire. However, another source told the News the water and equipment loaded onto the vehicle adds so much weight that the vehicle is slow and bulky.
“It’s almost impossible for the vehicle to travel faster than 80 km/h because it’s top heavy.”
If it had to travel from the fire station to Cradlestone Mall, for example, the trip would take up to half an hour.
The remaining two vehicles are poorly equipped. One of the bakkies is meant to assist Muldersdrift with fire and rescue, but contains only a Jaws-of-Life. The other vehicle is a Land Cruiser meant to assist Kagiso, but it cannot take any water and has almost no equipment.
Another factor to take into account is the amount of growth Krugersdorp and Muldersdrift have seen over the past few years. “Cradlestone Mall, Netcare Pinehaven Hospital and Silverstar Casino are large expansions that the fire department needs to take into account when considering how much the department must grow and how much equipment they need to cater for their large community,” the source said.
The Krugersdorp Fire Department unfortunately falls under the West Rand District Municipality’s (WRDM) jurisdiction, and Mogale City Local Municipality is therefore unable to assist or provide comment about the situation.
The News contacted WRDM on Tuesday, 17 January and is still awaiting comment.
Contact the News on 011 955 1130 if you have more information to share.
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