Cosmo City gogos given fire safety kits

In a concerted effort to reduce fire fatalities, the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) visited Cosmo City, Johannesburg, to educate the community about fire safety, Randburg Sun reports.

Through the EMS public information, education and relations department, responsible for public education, 50 elderly women from the community were identified. This group of gogos form part of the Cosmo City’s Community Emergency Response Team.

READ MORE: Joburg launches campaign to reduce fire fatalities this winter

They were given Jozi fire safety kits, and have already been trained on basic firefighting and first aid, with the aim of empowering them to deal with some of the emergencies before the Comso City firemen arrive on the scene.

This is part of the emergency services’ initiative of building resilient communities and communities that are capable of dealing with any emergency that might occur in their areas. Since the beginning of June, EMS has handed over safety kits in various informal settlements in Johannesburg.

Fires are mostly caused by the following:

• Candles that are not placed in proper candle safety jars to prevent them from falling.
• Using open fires for cooking in a confined space with highly flammable materials such as imbaula (braziers), which also cause from inhaling the toxic smoke.
• Illegal electricity connections.

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