Fire Ops SA fills the fire fighting gap
Some residents are forced to rely on a private firefighting organisation, Fire Ops SA in emergencies because the city has shortage of firefighting vehicles.
Some Johannesburg residents are forced to rely on a private firefighting organisation, Fire Ops SA to assist in emergencies because the city’s fire stations are under-equipped.
Robert Muladuzi, spokesperson for the emergency services said, “Citywide there is a shortage of fire engines to respond to emergencies as there are only 11 big fire trucks in service at the moment.”
Andries Mucavele, director of operations for the emergency services for the city said several of the 30 fire stations in Johannesburg did not have a first response fire engine.
There were currently only 18 vehicles equipped to deal with fires, including the small Skid (a vehicle to put out small veld or refuse fires) trucks, but plans were in place to replenish the much-needed assets that formed part of the emergency services.
Mucavele said, “An operational meeting was held two weeks ago at the highest levels of the emergency services to add 13 large fire trucks of various modes and sizes to the fleet. They are also providing two water tankers, one hydraulic platform truck and a ladder.”
He expected delivery of this equipment in early 2023. A further R200m had been allocated for next year to purchase another 15 fire trucks.
During her 2022 budget speech on May 25, MMC Julie Suddaby revealed that R200 million capital expenditure had been budgeted to acquire fire fighting equipment, all of which was hoped to be operational by June 2023 at the latest.
Wynand Engelbrecht, chief fire officer for Fire Ops SA, said they were ‘in the business of saving assets and lives when incidents involving fires happen’.
He added they have 20 vehicles in their fleet and 60 full-time firefighters who respond to emergencies from their centres throughout the city. The bills for services rendered were paid by the affected parties, be it homeowners or businesses.
Engelbrecht said Fire Ops SA was usually the first to arrive at a fire, as was the case recently when a thatch lapa caught fire next to a house in Bloubosrand, Randburg.
“By the time the fire department arrived in a Skid, the blaze was extinguished and the house was undamaged. Had they [Fire Ops] not been there so quickly, the situation could have been very different.”
Engelbrecht concluded that Fire Ops and the fire department sometimes worked together if there was a large blaze, and they were happy to collaborate when needed, as they were both working to assist the community.
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