International Fire Awareness Week

The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services commemorated International Fire Awareness Week through its Public Education wing recently.

The aim of the awareness drive was to train and educate vulnerable communities about basic fire and life safety issues, the dangers of fire, and how to act during various emergencies and, above all, to create a culture of fire safety.

This year’s theme highlighted the need for change, cooperation and intervention by all stakeholders and communities to ensure that there is fire safety. During the awareness week, all seven regions of the City of Joburg conducted various fire safety educational activities in order to create a culture of fire safety.

“Over the years, the Gauteng PIER working group, which consists of all fire service municipalities in Gauteng Public Information Education and Relations (PIER), has been instrumental in reducing the loss of lives, especially in the most vulnerable communities – the informal settlements. This is done through proactive life and fire safety activities that include pre-winter as well as post-winter Fire Awareness Week and the International Fire Awareness Week. These joint provincial awareness campaigns target the most vulnerable communities,” said Robert Mulaudzi, media liaison officer of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services. Mulaudzi added that the safety awareness campaigns have proven to be successful.

Safety tips:

• Keep candles away from children; a child should not be left alone in a room with a candle. Store candles, matches and lighters out of the reach of children, and avoid carrying a lit candle. A candle should not be used in a confined space.
• A glass jar will provide more light and if sand is placed in the bottom of the jar, the candle will die when it reaches the sand.
• If you use paraffin lamps, make sure the flame is protected. Put your paraffin stove on a flat surface where it can’t fall or get knocked over.
• Always remember to never go outside or to bed if a candle or paraffin lamp is still burning. Switch off heaters and stoves at the plug before going to bed or out, and always extinguish cigarettes carefully.

Read: Ems provides fire safety training

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