Cape Town has reportedly experienced marginal increases in both vegetation and residential fires in recent months, likely compounded by very hot and windy weather conditions, and rolling bouts of load shedding. During this time the City of Cape Town’s emergency services have also conducted dozens of education and awareness outreach events, including taking to Lwandle streets last month to drive home the message that everyone has a role to play in fire safety.
A media statement released on Sunday (5 February) said the City’s Fire and Rescue Services recorded a marginal percentage increase in both vegetation and residential fires over the past four months. Altogether 5 331 vegetation fires, 619 formal residential fires, 841 informal residential fires and 62 fatalities were recorded from October 2021 to January 2022. For the same period, from October 2022 to January 2023, vegetation fires increased by 693 (to 6 024), formal residential fires by 25 (to 644), informal residential fires by 52 (to 893) and fatalities by 18 (to 80).
“Cape Town has been experiencing very warm and windy conditions this summer,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith. “Not only does it raise the risk of vegetation fires, but the wind accelerates any fire, whether vegetation or residential. It also impacts on our ability to get aerial support to go where needed as the helicopters stay grounded when the wind is too strong, and it increases the time spent working to extinguish fires.”
Fire safety education
Between October and December last year, the Fire and Rescue Service’s Fire Life Safety section conducted 91 education interventions, ranging from visits to businesses and religious institutions to informal settlements, schools and senior citizen care facilities.
The Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC) too held a number of door-to-door campaigns, loud-hailing exercises, exhibitions at various events and schools as well as providing fire safety guidance and awareness to residents in at least 70 informal settlements. The DRMC is assisted by the Public Emergency Communication Centre, Law Enforcement and the City’s Public Participation Unit.
These education efforts are ongoing, and one of the most recent door-to-door campaigns took place in Lwandle on Thursday 26 January.
“Our emergency services conduct hundreds of education and awareness outreach events each year around fire risks and mitigation, but it is a shared responsibility,” said Smith. “Homeowners and families have to ensure that they are alert at all times to any potential fire risks, but also what to do in the event of a fire or emergency.”
Tips on fire awareness include:
• Maintaining your home’s electricity infrastructure and using only accredited electricians
• Keeping flammable materials away from children or heat sources;
• Having an evacuation plan and sensitising the household to it;
• Switching off non-essential appliances when not in use;
• Not overloading electrical sockets and multi-plugs;
• Not leaving open flames, stoves or heaters unattended; and
• Checking your load-shedding schedule and switching off all appliances, and particularly the stove, before the power goes out.
Residents are also encouraged to save the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre number on their cellphones, and to call them in case of an emergency. The number is 021 480 7700.
