A service level agreement between the eMalahleni Fire Brigade and the SACCW (South African Community Crime Watch) will ensure fire fighting at top speed.
On Tuesday, August 21, a final handshake closed the deal between the two entities and Mr Kingdom Mabuza, municipal spokesperson explained:
Phori Ephraim Khanye (fire chief) and David Wessels.
“The two entities already have a good working relationship and that is why they are joining forces. The documentation has been approved by the municipality and all legal departments were involved. We have been working closely with some of the SACCW responders like Charles Steyn and James Salmond that forms part of the SACCW EMS & FD Volunteers group, for quite some time and they are professionals. The combination serves a good purpose and we believe we will be making one hell of a team.”
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He added that the fire trucks are dispatched as soon as an emergency call is received from responders or Ms Maureen Scheepers, operations co-ordinator of the SACCW.
“They have the necessary training and protective clothing in order to fight fires safely. We will build the fire brigade back up and put it back on its pedestal, as we have confidence in what the SACCW can bring to the table,” Mabuza added.
Basic training will be provided to SACCW responders, who will broaden their experience and assist in fire fighting. A date will be set for this, but Mabuza explained that this will ensure a fire does not spiral out of control.
Scheepers said:
“So far, we have 40 names who will be attending the training and we have trainees in each neighbourhood. The training will be completed under the SACCW banner. This will ensure that our response is quick, as we have two fire trailers and a third in the making. Our aim is to have a fire trailer in each neighbourhood because the best way to fight a fire is within the neighbourhood.”
She added that it is an honour to be working with the eMalahelni Fire Brigade and their aim is to assist in keeping fires under control while the fire brigade is en route.
Charles Steyn (SACCW fire division chairperson), Phori Ephraim Khanye (fire chief), David Wessels, Dennis Ground (senior divisional officer) and Maureen Scheepers.
“We take the blame when a complaint comes in. We do not blame shift. But we hope that with this new agreement we can bridge the gap between a small fire and a disastrous runaway fire.”
One last request from the fire brigade was that motorists should make way for the fire trucks. They work on a keep-left rule. They urge motorists to please move to the left and they keep right in order to reach a fire faster.
