It is all systems go as Tshwane emergency services department gears up for the busy 2019 festive season.
Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said his team was ready to attend to fire, rescue lives and offer emergency medical and disaster management criteria and standards.
“The festive season sees a rise in incidents involving motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian accidents and assaults. We have to be in a state of readiness to ensure, promote, protect and sustain lives and properties,” Mabaso said.
“We will be deploying rapid response vehicles to be visible in monitoring pre-identified roads within the city of Tshwane.”
He said other prevalent incidents in Pretoria were issues of drowning, freak structural fire incidents and veld and dump fires due to extreme heat conditions.
“Other incidents of risk expected to rise during this period are of medical conditions due to extreme heat.”
He said the joint-operational teams would also monitor low water bridges and other areas prone to flooding.
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Mabaso said his department was also rolling out a joint operational plan in collaboration with various city departments and agencies in order to enable the community in Tshwane to enjoy a safe festive season by rendering a cost-effective, efficient emergency service in terms of national and international standards.
“The plan includes a fire safety multi-disciplinary by-law enforcement on dealing and usage of fireworks, participation and deployment in events that have been approved by the city of Tshwane.”
Mabaso said the Tshwane EMS also called on communities in the city to work together to ensure that all the risks such as road accidents, drowning and dehydration were mitigated to ensure road user and residents safety, this festive season.
Last month, the Tshwane EMS team took part in a simulation exercise by the road management systems (RIMS), which saw two lanes closed off on the N1 highway.
“It was an unplanned RIMS simulation exercise in compliance with NTC response protocols,” Mabaso said.
Mabaso said the unplanned simulation was to test the various stakeholders’ response time with the festive season ahead.
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