Fire quickly contained at school in Waterfall Estate
WATERFALL – Read how quick thinking stopped a school fire from getting out of hand.
Quick thinking and one minute response time were the deciding factors which resulted in 7Arrows Security team being able put out a fire that started inside a classroom at the Reddam House School in Waterfall Estate on 28 April.
According to Elyse Golovey of 7Arrows, their command centre received a panic alert from the school at about 4am on Friday morning after the fire started in one of the offices in the senior primary section.
“Our controllers immediately dispatched officers to the scene where six brave officers faced the fire,” Golovey explained.
“On arrival officers assessed the situation and utilised their training to fight the flames. They broke a window to gain access into the classroom and eventually managed to put out the fire that had engulfed the entire space leaving a lot of smoke in its departure.”
The groundskeeper was the first person alerted to the fire when he smelled the smoke and realised a classroom had caught fire. This is when he pressed his panic button, which notified the 7Arrows command centre of an emergency.
“Although fires are not our primary concern, we value every community we serve and are proud to have been able to assist with this emergency, ultimately stopping a fire that could have spread further if left unattended,” said Jason Mordecai of 7Arrows Security.
“We would like to thank our brave officers who went beyond their call of duty to save this school,” he added.
The fire department is investigating the incident, but it is suspected that the fire broke out due to a faulty plug in the classroom.
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Shaun Fuchs, the managing director of Reddam schools in Gauteng, added that the fire was put out quickly and without incident, because protocol was followed.
“We will have to replace a couple of chairs and small things like that [in the affected room],” Fuchs explained. “But thankfully the fire was quickly contained by security and our staff, even before the fire department arrived.”
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