Most encouraging is the decline in the number of residential fires � both formal and informal, but also the number of fatalities, which dropped by 29%, year-on-year.

However, the increase in the number of informal dwellings affected is a concern and speaks to the challenges of firefighting in informal settlements.

Among the statistics were:

A 14% drop in the number of special service calls (motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials, rescues etc.)

A 1,4% drop in the number of informal settlement fires

A 13,5% increase in the number of informal dwellings affected

A 5,5% reduction in the number of formal residential fires

A 29% reduction in the number of fire fatalities

An increase of 8,7% in vegetation fires

While the Fire and Rescue Service advocates that informal structures are built at least three metres apart to slow down the spread of fire, this does not happen in many instances.

It also makes it more difficult for firefighters to get to the source of a fire and contain the spread.

‘We’ve also noticed an increase in the number of double-storey structures in some informal settlements, which means an increase in the number of dwellings that are affected in the event of a fire. Add to that the narrow access routes, lack of street names, or exact locations particularly in the case of new settlements, allows one to develop an understanding of the difficulties firefighters face.

‘The City often cautions against the proliferation of informal settlements, often as a result of illegal land invasions. Apart from the challenges around the provision of basic services when persons settle somewhere that is not fit for habitation, or do so in a haphazard manner, it also bedevils the work of agencies like the Fire and Rescue Service,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

CAUSES OF FIRES

Many fires continue to be caused by human error or negligence. The Fire and Rescue Service analysed data from residential (formal and informal fires) over a three-month period between May and July 2019. The graphs below indicate a range of causes:

VEGETATION FIRES

The Fire and Rescue Service also noted a near 9% increase in vegetation fires year-on-year, which in turn pushed up the overall number of fires responded to.

These fires account for just over 70% of all fires that the City responded to during the period in question.

‘This statistic explains why we increase our available resources over the warmer months, since most of the vegetation fires occur during a four or five-month window. The City has, over the years, invested in the seasonal firefighters to have extra hands on deck over this time, but we also make sure that we contract aerial support and of course conduct ongoing education and awareness about vegetation, but also residential fires,’ added Alderman Smith.

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

The City continues to invest in its firefighting service, with new fire stations in Masiphumelele and Sir Lowry’s Pass Village in the home straight.

The Gugulethu Fire Station was reopened on 19 August 2019, following a two-month closure due to damage caused by protestors. It was the third such closure of the fire station since July 2018.

Repairs and increased security measures necessitated by the continued targeting of the station cost nearly R1,2 million rand.

This includes:

R247 000 on a fence to enclose the fire station

R315 000 to install new sectional overhead doors

‘We’ve highlighted the attacks on our staff before, whether it be vehicles that are stoned on route to fires or hoses cut while staff are trying to extinguish fires. But the attacks on Gugulethu have been particularly problematic. That the firefighters have agreed to return each time and continue serving the community who has turned on them no less than three times in the last year, speaks to their commitment and dedication to the job. It has been a traumatic and trying time for all concerned, and I sincerely hope that the madness will come to a stop. There is no justification for destroying infrastructure, not least that which is meant to save lives and property,’ said Alderman Smith.

Source: City Of Cape Town