Despite protests by some community members who claimed they were not given work at the station and reportedly wanted to run the station themselves, the Cosmo City Fire Station was officially opened by the City of Johannesburg on 1 March.
The Cosmo City Progressive Youth Development forum issued a statement on their Facebook page saying they were promised engagement with the City before opening the station, but that it did not happen.
“How are we as young people expected to take pride and protect this infrastructure if we ain’t even considered to be eligible for employment.
We can’t allow the opening without anyone being employed. We are, therefore, calling all young people in Itsoseng, Cosmo City and Zandspruit to join us as we march to the fire station in Ext 8 and we must all bring our CVs (sic),” the statement read.
But the official opening went ahead nevertheless.
The new station will not only serve the community of Cosmo City but also provide support to the neighbouring Diepsloot and Lonehill Fire stations.
The station has also been equipped with one of the three brand-new fire engines the City recently acquired.
MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun said this project has been the Department of Public Safety’s priority because of the rapid expansion of the area.
“The Cosmo City Fire Station is a multi-purpose station and is home to the eighth Be Safe Centre in the City, which is used by the EMS Public Information Educational Relations team to educate the youth about the importance of fire safety,” Sun said.
The facility has a swimming pool, which will be used in conjunction with Swim South Africa to teach children about water safety and how to respond to a water-related incident.
There is also a fitness centre so the firefighters can maintain their fitness levels, the MMC said.
A platoon of 21 firefighters and paramedics will be deployed at Cosmo City and the department has dedicated R11 million to an EMS Reservist Development Programme to capacitate over 200 reservists to help prepare them for the firefighter’s qualification assessment.
“We are also planning to hire more firefighters. We encourage the youth from Cosmo City to actively engage the department when recruitment process commences,” Sun said.
“The fire station will give much-needed relief to surrounding fire stations like Randburg and Hunters Hill, which also support the emergency services to the area. I want to personally thank all those involved in the establishment of the Cosmo City Fire Station and trust that the community will work with us to ensure that the station is a success.”
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