Fewer emergency calls received over festive season

The City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) personnel received fewer emergency calls during the New Year’s Eve celebrations.

According to Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for EMS, approximately 254 emergency calls were received during this year’s celebrations, showing a decline from the previous year’s more than 300 calls.

“EMS staff have worked tirelessly throughout the festive season to ensure they responded promptly to emergencies. All 28 EMS fire stations throughout the City of Johannesburg’s various regions were fully operational and manned by at least 20 personnel,” he said.

Mulaudzi said that 70 per cent of the calls were residents reporting assault cases and the other 30 per cent were motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents. “Out of the 127 reported pedestrian accidents, there were two fatalities when pedestrians were knocked over by speeding vehicles. Among the 171 assault incidents four fatalities were reported,” said Mulaudzi.

Because of the number of accidents and emergency incidents that usually occur during the holiday season, which require medical care, EMS strengthened their capacity in order to cope with it. Mulaudzi said, “It is our responsibility as the EMS to respond swiftly to accident or crime scenes and give people the medical attention they need.”

Mulaudzi felt that, even though there were fatalities, they were relatively happy with the overall behaviour of the residents across the City of Johannesburg’s regions. According to him, the continuous change in behaviour could be attributed to the constant operations conducted by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), police and the by-laws compliance operations targeting wholesale outlets, dealers and re-sellers of fireworks.

He concluded by saying, “We would like to thank the residents for looking after themselves and celebrating safely during the festive season.”

Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.

For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine

Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!