The City of Johannesburg’s Public Safety Department is pleased to announce that the first phase of the R16,4 million upgrade of nine of it fire stations is to be completed before the end of May.
The stations being upgraded include Florida Fire Station, Brixton Fire Station, Berea Fire Station, North Fire Station, Diepkloof Fire Station, Dube Fire Station, and Sandton Fire Station. These stations are all to receive upgrades to their infrastructure, buildings and Be Safe centres, which have been instrumental in educating communities on fire safety and creating emergency response units from among the residents of the areas they serve.
Also Read:
According to the MMC for Public Safety, councillor Michael Sun, the upgrade of the fire stations also includes replacing legacy infrastructure with more modern equivalents. The bay doors, for instance, are a welcome new feature at the fire stations that will allow for faster dispatch of fire engines in emergencies. Furthermore they are far more cost effective and easier to maintain.
The improvement and maintenance of the fire stations in the City of Johannesburg is of paramount importance to the Department of Public Safety. Refurbishing these buildings ensures that firefighters operate within a safe and functional environment that supports their ability to provide the services of fire prevention and fire suppression.
Councillor Sun also mentioned that, apart from procuring new fire engines in order to achieve their goal of one new fire engine in every fire station, they need to also upgrade and maintain the fire stations themselves.
“Implementing this important project means that residents will benefit directly from the money spent. Our firefighters will be able to serve residents in enhanced working conditions and ensure the City’s emergency fire rescue service is top class. Plans for the roll-out of the second phase of these improvements have been set in motion and more fire stations will soon be upgraded,” he concluded.
