Cape Town - The City of Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Service Department will soon be boosted with the addition of two new fire stations currently under construction.
The Masiphumelele and Sir Lowry's Pass fire stations are more than 70% complete and will bring this vital service closer to communities.
"Time is critical in rescue situations as fires can spread rapidly and the condition of injured victims can deteriorate within seconds. The two new fire stations will bring emergency, fire and rescue services closer to the communities of Masiphumelele and Sir Lowry's Pass and their immediate surroundings," said Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith on a site visit to Masiphumelele.
The locations for both stations were determined by the response times to cover the risks of the areas and to provide cover for the growing informal areas.
Construction on the two fire stations, at about R19 million each, is at just more than 70% and once major construction is complete, the final installation of fittings, equipment and communication systems will start.
Final occupation of the fire stations is estimated to be between October and December this year.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and senior fire service management conducted a risk assessment to determine the ideal location for the placement of the station, based on response times to the inherent and growing commercial and residential risks of the areas.
The main fire station consists of an engine room (appliance bay), living quarters, administration section, drill yard and storage areas.
Existing facilities at Masiphumelele will be incorporated into the fire station as lecture rooms and training facilities.
Masiphumelele will predominantly cover Masiphumelele, Kommetjie and Ocean View.
Sir Lowry’s Pass will cover Nomzamo, Lwandle, Sir Lowry’s Pass and the eastern area towards the Gordon’s Bay/Grabouw area.
This will bring the number of fire stations within the City to 32 with a total number of 900 fire fighters.
From 1 November 2018 until 28 February 2019 the City's Fire and Rescue Service responded to 13 483 incidents, including:
- Vegetation fires: 7 472
- Formal structures: 662
- Informal structures: 716
"There was a time when rescue in the fire service only meant someone was saved from a fire. Today, rescue comes in many forms and firefighters respond to vehicle accidents in which patients have to be cut from the wreck, chemical spills, structural collapses and many other incidents which endanger lives. The new fire stations will give these communities peace of mind that rescue is much closer than before," said Smith.
