Johannesburg - The City of Joburg has dismissed claims of substandard working conditions by disgruntled firefighters, and that its emergency services are in dire need of vital equipment and related resources.
Aggrieved firefighters on Wednesday detailed what they said were their daily struggles during a media briefing hosted by the DA member of the mayoral committee for public safety, Michael Sun.
They said management was misleading the public about the state of fire stations.
But on Thursday, the city’s emergency services spokesman, Robert Mulaudzi, sought to rubbish some of the claims, while admitting that there are problems.
He maintained that the city was working towards improving the vital service.
In response to claims of a lack of resources, particularly not enough working fire engines, Mulaudzi told The Star the problem was that many of the vehicles were being repaired.
“Most of our fire engines are ageing,” he said.
“However, we started implementing our vehicle replacement plan last year by procuring six fire engines, which include a state-of-the-art urban search-and-rescue unit and an incident command unit.”
Mulaudzi said unroadworthy fire engines would be replaced.
He said that because the stations are in operation all the time, certain facilities such as showers and toilets may require work, but he insisted this was treated as a matter of urgency.
“There are a lot of repairs and maintenance in progress at most of our fire stations, which include the replacement of fire engine doors at stations like Fairview, Orange Farm and Lawley.”
Regarding the firefighters’ complaints about their uniforms, which they claim are of an inferior standard and inadequate to protect them while in the line of duty, Mulaudzi said plans were in place to correct this.
“A contract has been awarded for this financial year to supply protective clothing. We still have stock for replacement if there is a need for us to replace some of the fire gear if it is missing or damaged.”
Mulaudzi said, however, that each firefighter was issued with the required kit, which included a helmet, gloves, a bunker unit, firefighting boots, a torch and goggles.
He also rubbished claims that firefighters have to share masks and said that all were issued with their own in a bid to prevent the transfer of diseases.
Mulaudzi added that because firefighters work in dangerous conditions, every effort was being made to ensure their safety.
“We take the safety of our firefighters very seriously by making sure that they are properly dressed with the full firefighting gear and equipped with the latest equipment to render effective service to our communities,” he said.
The Star