Safety awareness campaign launched to halt informal settlement fires
The Ekurhuleni Metro recently launched the annual Pre-winter Fire Safety Awareness Campaign, at the Makause informal settlement, in Primrose.
The launch, held under the theme ”Be wise, Be safe and Stay alive” is deemed necessary since the metro is host to 119 informal settlements.
This reality makes this campaign of supreme importance as informal settlements are more vulnerable to shack fires during the harsh, cold winter season.
“The annual fire safety campaign is aimed at improving the community’s preparedness and enhancing their resilience to crisis situations.
“The devastating fire-related incidents in informal settlements can only be prevented when people are educated about the dangers of heating sources and are equipped with the knowledge of how to handle them,” MMC for Community Safety Clr Vivian Chauke said.
Residents were taught about different types of fires and how gas fires cannot be extinguished with water, as one would with any other fire, because of the liquefied petroleum gas.
Residents were further reminded not to put candles, heaters, braziers, gas stoves and paraffin stoves close to curtains or any easily flammable items.
The Community Emergency Response Team members, who are also residents in the informal settlements, encouraged residents to always have water or sand stored in buckets so that they can effectively extinguish a fire before it spreads.
