Fire!
Fire can be mesmerising, and it can be deadly. It can create new life, but it can also take life.
Our country is in the grips of a drought with parties calling for both the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape being declared disaster areas.
This raises a very important question. When day zero hits in Cape Town what will the impact be on firefighting? What happens is you have a fire at home and your water is cut off?
Well so far, the Western Cape government has been quiet on what provisions have been made to counter domestic or industrial fires. They are however saying that there is no cause to panic and that firefighting crews will be fully equipped to deal with fires. There is no doubt however that the absence of running water will cause a tremendous problem for communities, companies and domestic households.
It is up to companies to take as many preventative measures as possible.
This means:
- Ensuring that you have a trained and well equipped on site firefighting team.
- Did you know that South African legislation requires that 1 per 50 employees and or 2 people per building are required to be trained in basic firefighting?
- That these employees should be equipped with the correct gear to ensure that they are effective in what they do.
Annually up to 600 South Africans lose their lives to fire every year with up to 4000 people suffering injuries.
Every employer in South Africa should keep the following fire fighting kit on site as a standard.
- Up to date serviced fire extinguishers
- Fire suit (for fire fighters)
- Fire helmet
- Firefighting gloves
- Axe
- Emergency torches
There are difficult times ahead for us as water becomes a very precious commodity. It is your company’s responsibility to ensure that in the event of a fire or an emergency situation, that you have the necessary trained personnel and equipment.
Contact imperial Armour at sales@imperial-armour.co.za to discuss your firefighting needs or visit our website.
