Working together for better safety

Thanks to a helping hand from IPSS Medical Rescue, KwaDukuza was a safer place this Easter.

Earlier this year, IPSS made a proposal to council, stating that they would like to work with KDM during the busy Easter period and offered their resources at no cost.

“At times of emergencies during holidays, our emergency units often fall short of capacity to manage the number of people and incidents reported in our control room due to the increased number of visitors in the beach areas. We are particularly impressed by what the agency has committed to offer and we feel that our partnership will assist the community of KwaDukuza by ensuring the safety of everyone,” said municipal spokesperson, Sifiso Zulu.

The agency will be working with KwaDukuza Emergency services including the KwaDukuza Fire Services, Community Safety Unit and Crime Prevention.

The agreement includes the provision of an all-terrain rescue vehicle including a certified skipper and a rescue swimmer for the duration, a jet-ski and a qualified medic registered with Health Professionals Council of South Africa.

IPSS spokesperson Paul Herbst said that IPSS Medical Rescue is committed to beach safety and with this in mind, they decided to extend their service during Easter.

“IPSS will be servicing KwaDukuza communities together with our emergency units. Our professional rescue teams will be working with our rescue services 24/7 until the end of the Easter holidays. The partnership proved successful over the December holidays, resulting in no incidents of drowning on bathing beaches, several patients receiving medical treatment and transportation to medical facilities within ten minutes of calls for assistance.” said Herbst,

“As a value added service, Viva Security services has also offered to include two sets of guards to patrol the promenade from 14:00 – 22:00 for the duration of Easter holidays,” he said.

The guards will be reporting to the Ballito Control Room and resources will be dispatched accordingly in cases of emergencies.

This is not the first time that the agency took such a decision and KDM would like to extend their deepest appreciation to IPSS Medical Rescue for their commitment to work with the municipality.

Last year in December, the partnership resulted in a higher number of rescues in KwaDukuza beaches – IPSS medical team transported more than 20 patients to hospital and responded to numerous calls.