EMS conducts door to door campaign in lenasia
"Programmes such as the Pre-Winter Awareness Week, Post Winter and International Fire Awareness Week were used to educate the masses..."
The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services conducted Winter Fire Safety Door to Door campaigns at the Thembelihle Informal Settlement in Lenasia on Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10.
This campaign was motivated by the number of fire incidents which occurred in the area in the past few weeks.
The campaign was an initiative from the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services Public Education together with the City of Johannesburg Disaster Management to talk to the residents about the safe use of all heating devices this winter.
Residents were educated not to leave heating devices unattended while in use in order to prevent fire incidents in homes during the winter season.
“The Public Education Department (Pier) has over the years been instrumental in assisting the organization to reduce the loss of lives through pro-active fire and life safety educational programs. Programmes such as the Pre-Winter Awareness Week, Post Winter and International Fire Awareness Week were used to educate the masses,” said City of Johannesburg’s spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi.
In the past years the implementation of the Door to Door campaigns has proven to be successful with the reduction of number of overall fire incidents and fatalities throughout the city of Johannesburg especially in the most vulnerable communities during the winter season – the informal settlements.
“The purpose of the campaign was to train and educate vulnerable communities in the areas which are prone to fire incidents about basic fire and life safety issues, the dangers of fires, and also how to prevent fire incidents at home and to remain safe if the fire does occur in their area, the campaign was conducted in collaboration with the City of Johannesburg Disaster Management,” said Mulaudzi.
This year the theme highlights the need for change, co-operation and interventions by all stakeholders and communities to ensure that there is fire safety in communities. Working together communities will face mutual challenges, responsibilities, and accountabilities in preventing and building resilient communities.
“During this winter fire season City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services Public Education will intensify the conduction of various fire safety educational activities throughout all seven regions of the City with the aim of creating a culture of fire safety”.
“We would like to encourage all our residents throughout the City of Johannesburg to utilise our BESAFE Centres in their areas to learn more about Fire and Life Safety Educational programs, this centres operates daily from Monday to Friday,08h00 to 16h00 in all seven regions of the City of Johannesburg,” Mulaudzi said.
