The City’s Fire & Rescue Service is showcasing their capabilities and engaging learners at various schools in fire safety. These initiatives are sometimes carried out in collaboration with other City departments.
Between July and December 2024, the Fire & Rescue Service conducted numerous interventions aimed at learners.
These included 17 high school visits focusing on fire safety education and career expos, 115 pre-primary school visits, and 109 primary school visits.
Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse, said this service endeavours to carry out as many of these interventions as possible during the academic year to maximize their impact.
The outreaches include visits to schools, early childhood development centres, community events, old age homes, religious institutions, and business premises.
Fire stations also host groups on-site to provide an in-depth look at the functioning of the service and to deliver fire safety education.
For children, the Service emphasizes essential safety tips such as understanding the dangers of fire, avoiding playing with matches or lighters, and the importance of keeping these items out of their reach.
Families are encouraged to create and practice an escape plan that everyone knows and can follow.
Additionally, children are taught the emergency numbers to call in case of a fire: 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
In the event of a fire, it is important to know what to do, to save yourself and your loved ones, and minimise any risk to property: Warn people to get out; crawl low under smoke to escape; help people to get out and then stay out; close any open doors to slow the spread of the fire; before opening a door, feel it with the back of your hand – do not open it if it is warm.
Keep your clothes catch fire, do not run around because you will fan the flames. Instead, stop, drop, and roll around on the ground, covering your face with your hands, to put out the flames; Keep roads clear so the fire engines can get to the fire quickly;– keep fire hydrants clear – do not park in the way of a fire hydrant; If the fire is contained to a small area and it is safe to do so, you can try to extinguish it using a fire extinguisher.