By Kouthar Sambo
Firefighters came under attack with stone-throwing in the Elsies River area on Thursday in an attempt to respond to a structural fire.
In an unrelated incident this week, firefighters were attending to a structure fire in Greenville, Kraaifontein when they experienced another attack.
“In both instances, firefighters continued with their duties and extinguished these fires before hurriedly retreating out of these areas. While the firefighters were fortunate themselves not to have suffered injuries, both fire engines were damaged and will need to be taken out of service for repairs to be undertaken,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith in a statement.
As a municipality we have worked hard to ensure our Fire and Rescue service is well equipped, explained Smith, making it arguably the best in South Africa.
Smith went on to elaborate on the recent expansion with an additional two new fire stations.
“Situated close to communities in need, that of Sir Lowry Village and then the Masiphumele and Oceanview areas getting the Kommetjie fire station, bringing our total now to 32 stations,” proclaimed Smith.
“Besides the massive investment into additional vehicles, including Water Tankers and Aerial Platform trucks, we have always ensured that every fire station has always had a working, well-maintained fire engine within its fleet,” reiterated Smith.
He went on to describe the appliances as the “work horse” for any emergency response.
“The Fire and Rescue service will make the necessary logistical arrangements to transfer remaining vehicles around various stations to ensure we are still best positioned to continue providing world-class service. We condemn the hostile actions of those who target our firefighters or those responding to similar emergencies as often occurs with paramedics and ambulance staff,” said Smith.
While firefighters are accustomed to risking their safety daily against “unforgiving flames,” explained Smith, they are not trained to handle violent and aggressive direct attacks from criminals while responding to emergencies.
“The resulting trauma inflicted upon members in this regard is therefore unacceptable. The City will offer a reward of up to R5000 for any information, including cellphone videos that can help identify such perpetrators and which may lead to their arrest,” asserted Smith.
Photo: Supplied
