VOLUNTEERS have been trained to fight fires in informal settlements by the City's emergency management services.

RESIDENTS of informal settlements in Roodepoort and the surrounding areas will be able to rest easier; 100 community members have been trained to combat shack fires pending the arrival of City fire-fighters.

Most of those who completed the basic course were present at the Roodepoort Civic Centre on Thursday, 30 June to collect certificates from the City's emergency management services unit (EMS).

Simon Moloko, the regional manager for housing, said the course was the result of a partnership between residents of Region 5's informal settlements and the EMS.

Community firefighters

"We decided on this programme to minimise the damage, loss of life and property through fire in the informal settlements."

The volunteers underwent an intensive, day-long training course during which they learned basic fire-fighting, said Harry Annandale, the station commander in the EMS's public education, information and relations department.

Different groups were selected by the community to undergo training every two weeks.

Dr Audrey Gule, the head of Johannesburg's EMS, also spoke at the ceremony. She commended the efforts of the region to give recognition to those who had undergone the course. "We work long hours day in and day out and sometimes we don't know if we are really making a difference."

Noting that it was the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, Gule pointed out that one of the conditions in the charter was safety for all people. She said the members of the EMS were contributing towards making Joburg a safer city.

Regarding the importance of such a programme, Gule talked about the constant threat of fires at informal settlements during winter. As most shacks are made of easily flammable materials like plastics and cardboard, fires tend to spread quickly from one dwelling to the next.

Apart from certificates, those who completed the training also received branded T-shirts, childproof bottle caps for use when storing paraffin and a safety candlestick holder. The holder has a receptacle for water, which puts out the candle if it falls over.

Ward councillor Paulus Mahlabe thanked the residents for their spirit of volunteerism and said each had the potential to develop further and do greater things for their communities.

Petros Lehudwa, speaking on behalf of the residents, thanked Region 5 for its support of people living in informal settlements. "Previously we could not do much during fires, but we can now, and it shows that the City cares for its residents," he said.

The fire-fighting programme is to continue until December; those who complete their training between July and the end of the year will receive their certificates in December.