Fire Brigade Services Assessment Report January 2009

Cacadu District Municipality

Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

THIS REPORT HAS BEEN COMPILED BY

January 2009

Compiled By : Rob Lambert

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CONTENTS Section Page

Definitions …………….……………………………… 6

PART A. INTRODUCTION ………………….………………………… 8

1. BACKGROUND ……………………….…………………… 9

2. SUMARY OF RISK AND ……………………………………………. 18 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

3. WATER SUPPLY AND FIRE ……………………………………………. 37 HYDRANT SYSTEMS

4. BYLAWS, LEGISLATION AND ……………………………………………. 39 FIRE SAFETY

PART B. ESTABLISHMENT OF NORMS ……………………………………………. 41 AND STANDARDS

1. BACKGROUND TO FIRE ……………………………………………. 42 SERVICE PLANNING : REQUIREMENTS & DEMANDS

2. FIRE RISK COVERAGE ……………………………………………. 44

3. THE NORMS ……………………………………………. 45

4. WEIGHT AND SPEED OF ……………………………………………. 46 RESPONSE

5. MANNING LEVELS ……………………………………………. 49

6. NUMBER OF RESPONDING ……………………………………………. 50 UNITS

7. VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT ……………………………………………. 51 AVAILABILITY AND MAINTENANCE

8. TRAINING ……………………………………………. 55

9. FIRE PREVENTION / SAFETY ……………………………………………. 58

10. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & ……………………………………………. 60 SAFETY

11. COMMUNICATIONS ……………………………………………. 61

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PART C. PRESENT STATUS AND ……………………………………………. 63 CAPACITY OF EXISTING FIRE BRIGADE SERVICES

1. BAVIAANS FIRE MUNICIPAL ……………………………………………. 64 BRIGADE

2. BLUE CRANE ROUTE …………………………………………… 69 MUNICIPAL FIRE BRIGADE

3. CAMDEBOO MUNICIPAL FIRE …………………………………………… 77 BRIGADE

4. IKWEZI MUNICIPAL FIRE …………………………………………… 91 BRIGADE

5. KOUGA MUNICIPAL FIRE ……………………………………………. 95 BRIGADE

6. KOU – KAMMA MUNICIPAL ……………………………………………. 112 FIRE BRIGADE

7. MAKANA MUNICIPAL FIRE ……………………………………………. 117 BRIGADE

8. NDLAMBE MUNICIPAL FIRE ……………………………………………. 131 BRIGADE

9. SUNDAYS RIVER VALLEY ……………………………………………. 144 MUNICIPAL FIRE BRIGADE

10. CACADU DISTRICT FIRE ……………………………………………. 154 SERVICE

11. NON – MUNICIPAL FIRE ……………………………………………. 160 BRIGADES

12. NATIONAL VELD AND FOREST ……………………………………………. 160 FIRE ACT

PART D FIRE BRIGADE ……………………………………………. 162 INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS

1. BAVIAANS MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 165

2. BLUE CRANE ROUTE ……………………………………………. 175 MUICIPALITY

3. CAMDEBOO MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 185

4. IKWEZI MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 195

5. KOUGA MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 205

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6. KOU – KAMMA MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 215

7. MAKANA MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 225

8. NDLAMBE MUNICIPALITY ……………………………………………. 234

9. SUNDAYS RIVER VALLEY ……………………………………………. 245 MUNICIPALITY

PART E. FIRE BRIGADE ……………………………………………. 253 INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS SUMMARY AND ESTIMATE COSTING

PART F. FIRE RIGADE SERVICE ……………………………………………. 265 DELIVERY MODEL OPTIONS

A. STAND ALONE LOCAL ……………………………………………. 267 MUNICIPALITY FIRE BRIGADE SERVICE

B. DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY – ……………………………………………. 268 ONE SINGLE DISTRICT WIDE FIRE BRIGADE SERVICE

C. LOCAL MUNICIPALITY FIRE ……………………………………………. 270 BRIGADE SERVICE ASSISTED AND CO – ORDINATED BY DISTRICT

D. PRIVATISATION OF ENTIRE ……………………………………………. 271 FIRE BRIGADE FUNCTION

E. PUBLIC / PRIVATE ……………………………………………. 272 BRIGADESERVICE PARTNERSHIP

PART G. STAKEHOLDER ……………………………………………. 275 CONSULTATION

PART H. RECOMMENDATIONS ……………………………………………. 280

ANNEXURE A. Proposed Operational Shift System ……………………... 283

ANNEXURE B. Sample Draft Mutual Aid Agreement …………………….. 284

ANNEXURE C. Sample Fire Brigade Incident Report …………………….. 287

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Definitions

A simple explanation of accronyms and technical terms is listed hereunder in order to assist readers of this report;

______

FPA Fire Protection Association established in terms of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act.

FPO A Fire Protection Officer appointed in terms of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act. ______

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Usually the second in command of the fire brigade service. Reports to the Chief Fire Officer.

Breathing Apparatus A special item of equipment that allows a fire fighter to breath fresh air when entering dangerous atmospheres.

Breathing Apparatus Compressor A machine used to fill air into breathing apparatus cylinders.

Chief Fire Officer Means the person appointed in terms of section 5 of the Fire Brigade Services Act. 1987 (Act No. 99 of 1987), to be in charge of a fire brigade service.

Divisional Officer A Senior fire brigade officer rank. Usually positioned below the rank Assistant Chief and above the rank Station Officer.

Fire Appliance A firefighting vehicle (Fire Engine or Fire Tender).

Fire Engine A specialist vehicle built to fight fires, carry equipment, water and firefighters.

Firefighter A person that is trained to fight fires (Fireman/Firewoman).

Fire Hydrant Bulk water outlet installed on a street water supply main, designed specifically to supply bulk water to a fire engine.

Fire Prevention / Safety The activities of a fire brigade relating to the prevention of fire, life safety and enforcement of fire brigade legislation.

Fire Protection Association An association made up of land owners and registered in terms of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act.

Fire Protection Officer A person elected to be the Chief Executive Officer of a Fire Protection Association.

Fire Tender A Fire Engine.

Foam Equipment A light fluid material used to combat and extinguish flammable liquid fires.

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Jaws of Life A set of hydraulic tools used to free persons usually trapped in motor vehicle accidents.

Jurisdiction Area The area of the municipality.

Manning Level The number of fire-fighters on a fire brigade vehicle.

Owner Has its common law meaning and includes- a lessee or other person who controls the land or property in question in terms of a contract, testamentary document, law or order of a High Court.

Responding Unit A fire brigade vehicle proceeding to an emergency incident.

Retained Firefighter Means a part – time firefighter who is paid some form of remuneration for service rendered.

Service Means a fire brigade service.

Siting of Fire Station The location or position of a fire station within the municipal area.

Small Gear Miscellaneous small equipment usually carried on a fire engine or rescue unit.

Station Officer A fire brigade middle management officer.

Voice Logger An electronic device that records telephone and two – way radio conversations and attaches a time and date stamp to every recorded conversation for later play back.

Volunteer Firefighter Means a part – time firefighter who is not paid for service rendered but simply works for enjoyment or special interest.

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PART A

INTRODUCTION

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1. BACKGROUND

1.1. Scope

Rural Metro Emergency Management Services was appointed by the Cacadu District Municipality to conduct a Section 78 assessment and prepare a report on the state of the existing Fire Brigade Services in the Cacadu District Municipality, including presentation of various options / models available in respect of the enhancement and operation of the existing fire brigade services at an approved, efficient and effective level within all local municipalities within the District.

The brief confirmed that the survey would consist of:

 A visual assessment of the general geographic layout of the area within the municipal boundaries,

 Gathering of information about communities, special risks, and Industry in the area,

 Determination of what existing municipal and private industrial fire brigade infrastructure exists,

 Determination of what two way radio communication infrastructure exists,

 Determination of what call centre and dispatching infrastructure exists.

1.2. District Wide Fire Brigade Service

The main functions of a fire service are to prevent fires and to protect life and property should a fire occur. To carry out these functions the service must be well organised and equipped.

The purpose of this report is to identify measures that should be taken to ensure that the Fire Brigade Services within the Cacadu meet this requirement.

Two essentials for protection against fire are an efficient fire service and an adequate water supply.

This report is submitted as a guideline in order to assist with the planning and implementation of measures to ensure that the communities of the District are protected by efficient, adequate and effective fire brigade services within the area of jurisdiction of the Cacadu District Municipality and the Local Mnicipalities within the district.

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1.3. Obligation to Provide Fire Brigade Services

On the matter regarding the question of the provision of fire brigade services, and whether it is a District Municipality or Local Municipality obligation, the following comments are submitted;

The Fire Brigade Services Act, (Act 99 of 1987), does not shed much light on the matter since it includes both the Local and District Municipalities in the definition of “local authority” in Section 1 thereof.

A “controlling authority” is defined to mean a local authority in control of a service.

A “service” is defined to mean a fire brigade service intended to be employed for preventing the outbreak or spread of fire, fighting or extinguishing the fire, the protection of life or property against a fire or other threatening danger, the rescue of life or property from a fire or other danger, or the performance of any other function connected with any of the matters referred to above.

Section 3 of the Fire Brigade Services Act provides that a local authority may establish and maintain a service in accordance with the prescribed requirements. This is accordingly an empowering provision but does not oblige a local authority to do so.

Section 3 also provides that the Premier may direct a local authority to establish and maintain a service in accordance with certain prescribed requirements.

The Disaster Management Act, (Act 57 of 2002), requires Metropolitan and District Municipalities to provide disaster management frameworks.

The Act does not require the establishment or maintenance of a fire fighting service by specific Municipalities.

Section 155 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (“the Constitution” establishes Category B Municipalities, being Local Municipalities and Category C Municipalities, being District Municipalities.

Section 156 (1)(a) of the Constitution provides as follows:

“(1) A municipality has executive authority in respect of, and has the right to administer-

(a) the local government matters listed in Part B of Schedule 4 and Part B of Schedule 5 …”

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Section 155(7) of the Constitution provides as follows:

“The national government, subject to Section 44, and the provincial governments have the legislative and executive authority to see to the effective performance by municipalities of their functions in respect of matters listed in Schedule 4 and 5, by regulating the exercise by municipalities of their executive authority referred to in Section 156(1).”

Part B of Schedule 4 includes fire fighting services as Local Government (or Municipality) matters.

Section 84 of the Local Government Municipal Structures Act, (Act 117 of 1998), (“the Structures Act”), provides for the division of functions and powers between District and Local Municipalities.

Section 84(1)(j) provides that a District Municipality has the function and powers for fire fighting services serving the area of the District Municipality as a whole, which includes;

 Planning, co – ordination and regulation of fire services;

 Specialised fire fighting services such as mountain, veld and chemical fire services;

 Co – ordination of the standardisation of infrastructure, vehicles, equipment and procedures;

 Training of fire officers.

Section 84(2) provides that a Local Municipality has the functions and powers referred to in Section 83(1) excluding those functions and powers vested in Section 84(j) in the District Municipality in whose area it falls.

Section 84(3) provides that the Minister may, in certain circumstances, authorise a Local Municipality to perform certain of the functions or exercise certain of the powers mentioned in Section 84(1). However, Section 84(1)(j), dealing with fire fighting services is not listed. This means that the Minister is not empowered to authorise a Local Municipality to perform the fire fighting functions under this Section.

Section 85(1) of the Structures Act provides that the MEC for Local Government in a Province may adjust the division of functions and powers between a District and a Local Municipality as provided for in Section 84(1)(j) by allocating, within a prescribed policy framework, any of those functions or powers vested in the District Municipality to the Local Municipality. These include fire fighting services.

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Section 85(2) provides that an MEC may only do so if the Municipality in which the function or power is vested lacks the capacity to perform that function or exercise that power and the MEC has consulted the Demarcation Board and considered it’s assessment of the capacity of the Municipality concerned.

Section 86 of the Structures Act provides that if a dispute arises between a District and a Local Municipality concerning the performance of a function or the exercise of a power, the MEC for Local Government in the Province, after consulting them, may, by notice in the Provincial Gazette, resolve the dispute by defining their respective roles in the performance of that function or in the exercise of that power.

The Constitution therefore gives both District and Local Municipalities the “right” to administer fire fighting services. There is however no obligation on them to do so.

The Structures Act gives District Municipalities the functions and powers to conduct fire fighting services.

(The word “function” is defined as an activity proper to a person or institution, a mode, of action or activity by which a thing fulfils it’s purpose, an official or professional duty).

This clearly goes beyond a “right” or “power” and the Structures Act therefore places on District Municipalities an obligation to provide these services.

Accordingly, the only basis upon which a District Municipality can escape responsibility for performing this function is if the MEC has acted in terms of Section 85 of the Structures Act by allocating that function to a Local Municipality having followed the relevant procedures.

In summary, accordingly, this is the position:

 Both Local and District Municipalities are entitled to conduct fire fighting services

 In the absence of an adjustment in terms of Section 85 of the Structures Act by the MEC, the District Municipality is obliged to provide the fire fighting service.

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1.4. Cacadu District Municipality

Cacadu district municipality is situated in the western portion of the Eastern Cape.

It is the largest district in the province, being approximately 60 000km² in size.

Cacadu’s boundaries stretch from Bloukrans River in the west to the Great Fish River in the east, Nieu-Bethesda in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south.

The majority of its people speak isiXhosa. English and Afrikaans are the next, most widely spoken, languages.

Cacadu District Municipality incorporates nine local municipalities and four portions called District Management Areas (DMAs).

Cacadu’s nine local municipalities and their key towns are:

• Baviaans (Steytlerville, Willowmore)

• Blue Crane Route (Cookhouse, Pearston, Somerset East)

• Camdeboo (Aberdeen, Graaff-Reinet, Nieu-Bethesda)

• Ikwezi (Jansenville, Klipplaat)

• Kouga (Hankey, Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, Oyster Bay, Patensie, St Francis Bay)

• Kou-Kamma (Joubertina, Kareedouw)

• Makana (Alicedale, Grahamstown, Riebeeck East)

• Ndlambe (Alexandria, Bathurst, Boknes, Bushmans River, Cannon Rocks, Kenton-on-Sea, Port Alfred)

• Sundays River Valley (Addo, Kirkwood, Paterson)

Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, comprising Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch does not form part of the Cacadu District Municipality.

The seat of Cacadu District Municipality is however, located in Port Elizabeth.

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The Tsitsikamma and Baviaans parks lie in the west of the district close to the Western Cape. The interior of the Cacadu District is mainly dry Karoo and grasslands comprised of commercial farms. In spite of the barren interior, the Sundays and Fish Rivers maintain large irrigated farming areas and these rivers are supplied by water from the Orange River.

The only eco-system not found in the Cacadu District is the true desert. The district is one of the finest game viewing areas in South Africa.

Grahamstown is home to Rhodes University and the National Arts Festival. Cacadu is home to the Addo Elephant Park. The district has a marine protected area stretching 120 000ha across the Indian Ocean, and acts as a southern extension of the Addo elephant Park, and so Cacadu is home to the world’s first “big seven” game reserve. Cacadu is also home to the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, the first tree top canopy tour in South Africa, and the highest narrow gauge railway bridge in the world.

Cacadu has a population of more than 363, 585, which is the second smallest population of the districts. There are only 6 people living in the rural district per square kilometer, as the people living on the coast and more inland are often 100’s of kilometers apart.

The Cacadu District constitutes less than 5,3% (census 2001 stats) of the population of the Eastern Cape Province. The district is dominated by a Karoo landmass resulting in low population densities and scattered, small inland towns. There are higher densities along the coast and in urban centers.

The population in the Cacadu District is concentrated in Makana, Kouga and Ndlambe, with more than 50% of residents in the District residing in these Municipalities. The remaining Municipalities all have less than 50 000 inhabitants per Municipality.

There is a correlation in the concentration of the population and the growth trends, with Makana, Kouga & Ndlambe experiencing the most significant increases between 1996 and 2001. Camdeboo and Sundays River Valley have also experienced increases over this period.

Agriculture dominates the districts economy, and there is also small-stock farming in the interior. Cacadu is the centre of the wool and mohair industry in the Eastern Cape.

Cattle and dairy farming is strong around Grahamstown, Cookhouse, Alexandria and Humansdorp. ______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 14 (Pty) Ltd 2009

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There is citrus farming from the Sundays and Fish Rivers. From St. Francis there is a small fishing industry. Tourism is well developed in Cacadu and there is a group of tourism routes established in the district.

The climate sees winter rainfalls of 500mm to 700mm annually along the coast with the dry interior supported by the Sundays and Fish Rivers, fed by the Orange River Project – allowing viable, irrigated farms.

Geographically, Cacadu consists of a narrow coastal plain with longitudinal mountains separating the coast from the Karoo.

1.5. District Location Map

A Map showing the Cacadu District Municipality, The Local Municipalities and the DMA’s

The Cacadu District is extensively covered by a network of both road and rail, with road being the preferred mode of transport. The rail network that used to be a vibrant back-bone to the economy of the District has been neglected and is in a state of dilapidation resulting in the collapse of towns like Cookhouse (Blue Crane Route), Paterson (Sundays River Valley) and Klipplaat (Ikwezi).

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A passenger mainline that goes from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, passes through Addo, Paterson, Alicedale, Middleton Manner and Cookhouse Stations in the District.

The narrow gauge line, well known as the “Apple Express”, occasionally operates leisure tours to Thornhill and Van Stadens River bridge. Limited activity is also experienced in the Langkloof (Kareedouw, Krakeel, Louterwater with a branch to Patensie in Kou-Kamma Municipality) used for rolling stock.

A total of 8 420km of roads cover the Cacadu District. A vast portion (82% - approximately 6 880km) of the total road network is gravel roads.

An “Active” passenger train at the Grahamstown Station

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The railway station at Klipplaat. Note the railway buildings that are now out of service and under demolition

An abandoned railway line en route to the Port Alfred area. Note the vegetation on the line.

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2. SUMMARY OF RISK & HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

A fire area should be divided into sub-areas which fall into one of the following fire- risk categories: (As quoted from the SANS Code of Practice).

Category A : Central business districts and extensive commercial and industrial areas normally found in cities and large towns (areas where the risk to life and property due to fire occurrence and spread is likely to be high).

Category B : Limited central business districts, smaller commercial or industrial areas normally associated with small towns and decentralized areas of cities and large towns (areas where the risk to life and property due to fire occurrence and spread is likely to be moderate).

Category C : Residential areas of conventional construction.

Category D: Rural risk areas of limited buildings and remote from urban areas.

Category E: Special risk areas. Individual risk areas requiring a predetermined attendance over and above the predominant risk category in an area. Includes large shopping/entertainment centres, informal settlements, harbours, hospitals, prisons, large airport buildings, and petrochemical plants.

The local municipalities were visited and are generally described and categorized in terms of the above risk categories.

It is considered important to mention that whilst a town or village is categorized according to the immediate local risks within the town, and is allocated a certain level of fire brigade capacity in terms of it’s noted local risks, there may well be considerable challenges facing a “Small Town Fire Brigade” due to the existence of properties and structures of considerable size, value and life risk which may be located away from the town, hidden away and not immediately obvious. These properties and structures are often also located a considerable distance from the town fire station and delayed attendance time by even the most efficient fire brigade service would have a negative impact of successful fire fighting operations.

An example of such a situation would be Kirkwood fire station and the Addo Park and other surrounding tourist facilities. (Note that a considerable fire loss occurred in the Zuurberg area during the survey period).

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Pictures of the before and after of the fire at the resort that recently suffered significant fire damage in Zuurberg Mountain Village are shown below.

Pictures of the Zuurberg Resort before and after the recent fire

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2.1. Baviaans Local Municipality

Baviaans Municipality includes the two small towns of Willowmore and Steytlerville.

Willowmore is slightly larger than Steytlerville and presents a slightly higher fire risk.

It was noted that Willowmore has a small central business district whilst Steytlerville has very few commercial occupancies.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Willowmore : Category B

Steytlerville : Category C

Willowmore and Steytlerville were noted to be about 88 kilometers apart and are linked by a single lane road.

A view of the Willowmore business area

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The Main street in Steytlerville

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2.2. Blue Crane Route Local Municipality

The Blue Crane Route Municipality includes the towns of Somerset – East, Cookhouse, Pearston

Somerset – East is a well established town and includes most of the commercial and industrial infrastructure that can be expected in a town of this size.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Somerset – East : Category B

Cookhouse : Category C

Pearston : Category C

The old market that is being considered as a possible emergency services base

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The Railway station in Cookhouse

The entrance to Pearston

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2.3. Camdeboo Local Municipality

Camdeboo Municipality includes the towns of Aberdeen, Graaf – Reinett and Nieu- Bethesda.

Graaf – Reinett is the largest of the three towns.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Aberdeen : Category C

Graaff - Reinet : Category B

Nieu – Bethesda : Category C

The entrance to Aberdeen

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A view across Graaff - Reinet

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2.4. Ikwezi Local Municipality

Ikwezi Municipality includes the towns of Jansenville and Klipplaat.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Jansenville : Category B

Klipplaat : Category C

The entrance to Jansenville

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The hospital in Jansenville

An abandoned railway building and steam engine in Klipplaat

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2.5. Kouga Local Municipality

Kouga Municipality includes the towns of Hankey, Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, Oyster Bay, Patensie, and Cape St Francis / St Francis Bay.

Humansdorp may be considered to be the largest of the towns in Kouga. Jeffreys Bay however is considerably well developed and was also noted to be the home of considerable new developments.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Hankey : Category B

Humansdorp : Category A

Jeffreys Bay : Category A

Oyster Bay : Category C

Patensie : Category B

St Francis Bay : Category B (Cape St Francis)

A large shopping centre under construction in Jeffreys Bay

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An up market waterfront residential area in Cape St Francis

One of the Cape St Francis thatch occupancies recently destroyed by fire. The damage value runs into millions.

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A view across a portion of the Port St Francis Harbour

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2.6. Kou – Kamma Local Municipality

Kou – Kamma Municipality includes the small towns of Joubertina and Kareedouw.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Joubertina : Category B

Kareedouw : Category B

A night-time vegetation fire

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2.7. Makana Local Municipality

Makana Municipality includes the towns of Alicedale, Grahamstown and Riebeeck East.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Alicedale : Category C

Grahamstown : Category A

Riebeeck East : Category C

A view of the central business district in Grahamstown

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A general view across Grahamstown

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2.8. Ndlambe Municipality

Ndlambe Municipality includes the towns of Alexandria, Bathurst, Boknes, Bushmans River, Cannon Rocks, Kenton – on Sea and Port Alfred.

Port Alfred is the largest of the towns.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Alexandria : Category B

Bathurst : Category B

Boknes : Category C

Bushmans River : Category C

Cannon Rocks : Category C

Kenton – on – Sea : Category C

Port Alfred : Category B

A view across a residential area in Port Alfred

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2.9. Sundays River Valley Local Municipality

Sundays River Valley Municipality includes the towns of Addo, Kirkwood and Patterson.

Kirkwood is the largest of the three towns.

The risk categories are considered to be as follows;

Addo : Category C

Kirkwood : Category B

Patterson : Category C

A view of the main railway corridor in the vicinity of Addo

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A view of the entrance to Kirkwood

A fruit processing plant between Kirkwood and Addo

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3. WATER SUPPLY AND FIRE HYDRANT SYSTEMS

3.1. Municipal Street Fire Hydrant Reticulation

This is an area of serious concern. It would be reasonable to expect that fire hydrants are provided at a predetermined rate within all developed areas.

The reality facing firefighters across the district however, is that fire hydrants are generally only available in the developed urban areas, whilst the non – urban environments have no fire hydrant infrastructure. The entire fire hydrant reticulation system will require a detailed evaluation in order to confirm if the distribution and reticulation is adequate. Efficient and effective firefighting relies to a large extent on the availability of an adequate supply of water.

Where the installation of effective fire hydrants can not be achieved, for whatever reason, consideration should be given to providing the fire brigades with suitable all terrain water tanker type fire fighting vehicles of a water carrying capacity of not less than 5000 litres.

A typical “All – terrain” Tanker type fire tender

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

3.2. Type of Fire Hydrants

During the survey, it was noted that various types of fire hydrants are in use across the district.

It would be advisable that one standard type of fire hydrant be used throughout the entire municipal area and District. When considering the standard type, it would also be wise to standardize with the fire brigade service in the Metro area in view of possible “mutual – aid” situations that may arise.

This would allow fire tenders to carry less non – standard equipment. (One standard fitting for all fire hydrants across all municipalities in the district). It would probably take several years to achieve this.

Two different fire hydrant types within a single fire station area. (Above ground instantaneous type and an underground bayonet type). (Note that it is easily concealed by the surrounding vegetation)

3.3. Fire Hydrant Identification

There is no standard or consistent system of marking and signposting of fire hydrants positions across the District.

During a fire, firefighters may have to rely on memory to find a fire hydrant.

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Note the faded road surface marking

Two examples of fire hydrant marking and signposting

When considering a suitable standard method of marking and signposting of street fire hydrants, it is essential that consideration also be given to a suitable method of marking the location of hydrants for easy identification during hours of darkness. (One could consider the use of blue reflective tape around the nearest street light pole for example).

4. BYLAWS, LEGISLATION AND FIRE SAFETY

In view of the recent establishment of “new” larger and “wall to wall” local municipalities through the Demarcation process, promulgation of appropriate fire brigade bylaws will need to be considered where matters are not provided for in provincial or national legislation.

It was noted that the District Municipality has promulgated a good set of bylaws relating to Fire Brigade Services. All the local municipalities within the district should consider adopting the same or similar bylaws.

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Whilst the promulgation of bylaws may be required, no legislation is of any value unless an effective education and enforcement system is in place. It is therefore vital that all fire brigade services have a component who’s function it is to enforce applicable fire safety legislation and generally promote public fire safety awareness.

It is particularly essential that the Fire Brigade Services are actively and continually involved with enforcement of the fire safety stipulations contained within the National Building Regulations and the SANS Code of Practice – “The Application of the National Building Regulations / Deemed to Satisfy Rules” (SABS 0400).

An example of a gas installation that should be controlled by the fire brigade in terms of appropriate bylaws.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

PART B

ESTABLISHMENT OF NORMS AND STANDARDS

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

1. BACKGROUND TO FIRE SERVICE PLANNING : REQUIREMENTS & DEMANDS

The standard of delivery of fire brigade services in South Africa has for many years been based on the requirements as laid out in SABS 090 – 1972.

This Code of Practice was recently amended and is now referred to as “SANS 10090 : 2003 – Community Protection Against Fire”.

The primary tasks of the emergency services are listed in the Fire Brigade Services Act, -

 Prevent the outbreak or spread of fire,

 Fighting or extinguishing a fire,

 Protection of life or property against a fire or other threatening danger,

 The rescue of life or property from a fire or other danger,

 The performance of any other function connected to the above.

To meet these responsibilities the emergency services must be in a position to field units to address the risks that are encountered within the judicial area that they serve. Such units include inter alia fire tenders, rescue units, as well as special appliances in respect of emergency medical, diving, rescue, hazardous materials and veld fire units.

In addition to these basic units of service delivery, there are support units that provide logistical support during emergencies such as breathing apparatus, water, and foam appliances.

The single most critical parameter in an emergency incident is time. It is the duration of exposure to heat, chemical factors and other exposures that determine the severity of injury to patients and damage to property.

It is the time lapse between the discovery of an incident and the completion of service delivery that determines the survivability of a patient and the total damage to buildings and equipment.

It is for the aforementioned reason that emergency service response standards are based on the parameter of time. The emergency service delivery system is based on strategies to minimise the time parameter.

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The following lapses are within the ambit of control of the fire services management:

(1) The time it takes to receive a call, identify the correct unit and sound the alarm,

(2) The time that it takes for the crew of the identified unit to scramble,

(3) The time that it takes for the unit to respond from it’s base to the address of the incident,

(4) The time that it takes to deploy resources at the incident,

(5) The time that it takes to complete operations at the incident.

The time lapse in (1) is technology and procedures dependent. Management must ensure that the most cost – effective procedures are in place to minimise this time lapse and ensure a high standard of data capture.

The time lapse in (2) is dependent on technology, management, motivation, and station layout.

The time lapse in (3) is the essential parameter that can be controlled by standards of service delivery. It is also the time lapse element that has the largest bearing on the success of emergency operations.

The time lapses in (4) & (5) are dependent on the severity of the incident.

It is possible to group incidents based on risk analysis into categories and establish the level of response for the various risk categories that will, in the long run, provide the most effective response to such incidents.

The response will therefore attempt to minimise the total time required to stabilise incidents that are distributed throughout the total area of jurisdiction of the local authority.

The standards of service delivery determine the level of success that can be expected in the execution of the responsibilities of the emergency services, as set out in the Fire Brigade Services Act. Such standards of service delivery must be quantifiable and easily measured if they are to be effective.

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2. FIRE RISK COVERAGE

A fire risk area is said to be covered if sufficient fire appliances can arrive at an incident within the established response time. The response time is the sum of the time lapses (1), (2), and (3) listed above.

The fire risk coverage of a fire station can be represented as an area within a community, (and sometimes even an adjacent community), bound by a perimeter.

If the travel time in all directions were equal, that fire station would lie at the centre of this bounded area.

We say the area is “covered” if it lies within the bounded area. An area outside the bounded area is said to be “not covered”. For large geographical areas a number of fire stations are required to provide complete coverage.

In practice, it is not possible to travel an equal distance within a given lapse in all directions.

This is as a result of the road network with some routes allowing a higher mean travel speed. This implies that the fire coverage area is not a perfect circle around the fire station. The boundary is “inflated” in the direction of the higher mean travel speeds, and deflated in the direction of lower travel speeds. (See diagram below).

Higher mean Low mean travel time travel time contour contour

High mean travel time Low mean contour travel time contour

Travel time curve

The radius of the bounded area is determined by the norm time established for the fire risk category found within the area. Buildings such as hospitals, and high rise buildings, and flats require a quicker response time than low fire risk industrial parks. The areas covered by individual stations are therefore not constant and is determined by the predominant fire risk found in that area.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

The level of demand for a service also determines the shape of the fire coverage area. In situations where there is a high demand for service delivery the first due fire appliance may already be engaged at an incident.

The second incident within the station area will require a response from the next nearest station.

The mean travel time for the second station will be longer than for a response from the geographically closer station.

The shape of the fire risk cover map is therefore affected by service demand.

There are also random factors that affect the size of the fire risk area. Traffic density conditions, weather, or even time of day or night affect the mean response speed. This once again affects the shape of the fire risk coverage of a particular station.

The shape of the fire cover around a given station varies in size as a result of the fire risk, the road network, random factors and level service demand.

It can be said in general that the further a risk lies for a given fire station, or the more dense the fire risk at the perimeter of the bounded area, the more likely that a statistical variation in the boundary will be experienced. This implies that the boundary of the area of fire cover is not a fixed line but rather an area with a statistical distribution.

It must be appreciated that even in cases where fire appliances arrive at an incident within the prescribed norm it is no guarantee that the fire will be extinguished with minimum injury or damage. A long time could have elapsed between the start of the fire and the time that is was discovered and reported to the emergency services. It is also possible that accelerants such as flammable liquids could have been used in arson motivated fires that cause an extremely rapid fire spread.

3. THE NORMS

When establishing response norms it is important to remember that the boundary of the fire cover area is statistically distributed.

The response standards must reflect this distribution if they are to be realistic and cost effective. There is a vast difference in practice between a response time of 5 minutes in 100% of all cases and 5 minutes in 70% of all cases.

International experience has shown that the achievement of set norms in 80% of incidents provides an acceptable level of fire and emergency medical risk cover.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

On receiving a report of an incident, it is imperative that the emergency units arrive in the shortest possible time. The probability of the survival of patients, the possibility of preventing fire spread to adjacent structures and the limitation of fire damage within the building of origin is greatly enhanced.

All fires display an exponential growth within the early stages. At a point along the fire growth curve, the fire dramatically expands to fill the compartment where it is burning. This is known as flashover. At this point, the survivability of victims is reduced to zero and total fire damage of the contents of the compartment can be expected.

The response time of the emergency units is therefore critically linked to the overall success of the emergency services in saving lives, preventing the destruction of life and property, and the delivery of a specialist rescue and humanitarian service.

The determination of response standards is the basis of service delivery for the emergency services. Apart from the multiplier effect of shift systems, response standards play the singular most important role in the financial implications of service delivery.

On the one hand the shorter the response time and the larger the crew the higher the budgetary impact will be. This translates directly into tax and other revenue sources.

On the other hand, the level of service delivery plays a direct role on the number of lives and value of property lost due to fire and other emergency incidents.

A reduction in the standard of service delivery will, in the long run, reduce the financial implications of providing an emergency service. This short-lived fiscal relief is however soon overshadowed by higher fire losses, increased death, injury and trauma to patients, and higher insurance premiums.

It is therefore incumbent upon fire service management to set delivery standards that optimize these conflicting functions.

4. WEIGHT AND SPEED OF RESPONSE

4.1. Weight of Response

The appliances in service should, when staffed, be sufficient to provide adequate fire protection in the area protected by the brigade.

In brigades which have only one station, the number of appliances shall be sufficient to meet the full demands of a first fire call to the most congested area and to provide at least one pump in reserve to respond to a second fire call.

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In the case of brigades which have more than one station, the number of appliances allotted to any particular substation will depend on the fire-risk category in the area assigned to the station.

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Minimum Pumping Capacity Pumping Units Per Appliance of Each Unit

A 2 5 3 850 L/Min B 2 4 3 850 L/Min C 1 4 2 250 L/Min D 1 4 2 250 L/Min E As determined by individual risk assessment

Note : Arrangements for vehicle fires, grass/bush fires and special services and the need for specialist vehicles such as aerial appliances and water carriers will be determined by local conditions

Weight of response at fires as quoted from SANS 10090

The implication of the above table is that response to a Category A fire would be 2 pumping units and 10 firefighters (2 units of protection), whilst response to a Category D fire would be 1 pumping unit and 4 firefighters (1 unit of protection). In other words, those levels would be the very least crew and vehicle levels required to be maintained, depending on the risk category levels in the fire station response area.

Category A Fire Category C Fire Two Units of Protection One Unit of Protection

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A typical example of a “Unit of Protection” (The Officer in Charge not shown in the picture)

4.2. Speed of Response

The efficiency of a fire service is judged largely by the attendance time that the fire brigade is capable of achieving. The attendance times should not exceed those shown below.

Risk Category Maximum call receipt & Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance turn – out time (Minutes) Travel Time (Minutes) Attendance Time (Minutes)

A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23 E Within Requirement of appropriate risk category

Attendance times as quoted from SANS 10090

4.3. Location and Position of Station Areas

The ability to meet attendance time requirements will be directly influenced by the positioning of stations and the size of turnout areas which should be determined by taking into consideration street grid networks, speed of appliances, terrain, traffic conditions, etc.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______The table below shows examples of possible station turnout areas under various conditions of appliance average speed. Once determined, station turnout areas should be verified by trial responses to test points in the risk area using vehicles of performance characteristics similar to those likely to attend.

Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories (Square Km). appliance km/h A B C D

25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Examples of station areas as quoted from SANS 10090

5. MANNING LEVELS (Crew Requirements)

Any response to an emergency incident requires the allocation of resources.

These resources include, personnel with the correct mix of knowledge, skills, and equipment.

Responding to a high rise building fire with one fire tender and a crew of six fire fighters is clearly an exercise in futility. Sending three fire tenders with a crew of fifteen to a motor vehicle fire is also clearly overkill.

An incident also has a time within which it must be dealt with. To allocate initial resources to a high rise fire over a five-hour period will result in a complete fire loss. In such a fire, as many as 200 fire fighters with equipment may have to be assembled within one hour if the fire is to be controlled.

Each allocation mix of resources (labour, equipment and vehicles) has associated input cost that must be balanced against the output cost – the life and/or fire loss that is incurred.

The level of manning of units determines the efficiency with which a unit can operate an incident. There are numerous tasks that must be executed simultaneously.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______In the case of fire suppression these include the laying of a water supply from a fire hydrant, the laying of a line of hose from the fire engine to the fire, the primary search for entrapped persons, the gaining of access to the building and ventilation.

This is a typical minimum set of tasks that must be completed immediately on arrival by a crew of fire fighters. The crew must be able to operate as a team safely and efficiently. If a team consists of too few fire fighters certain tasks that require a given crew size cannot be performed. Such critical tasks can then only be executed when additional fire fighters arrive.

The second important factor to consider is the effect on crew safety. As an example: A minimum of five fire fighters is required to enter a burning building. The officer in charge is the incident commander, two fire fighters enter the building with breathing apparatus as a team, and one person is designated as breathing apparatus entry control officer with one fire fighter on standby.

If there are less than five crew at the incident, these tasks cannot be executed and an extremely hazardous situation exists. Many fire fighters have been killed as a result of incorrect procedures being followed under these circumstances.

6. NUMBER OF RESPONDING UNITS

The number of responding units determines the total number of fire fighters and officers, pumping capacity, ladders, breathing apparatus and equipment levels available at an incident.

INCIDENT RISK LEVEL PUMPER UNIT LADDER UNIT High Risk – First Response 2 1 High Risk – Second Response 2 1 Medium Risk – First Response 1 1 Medium Risk – Second Response 1 - Low Risk – First Response 1 - Low Risk – Second Response 1 -

Responding Units (By Risk Level) as quoted from SANS 10090

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______7. VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY AND MAINTENANCE

7.1. General

Fire brigades should have sufficient rescue vehicles and special appliances to adequately protect the risks within each fire station’s area of operation.

Management of the emergency vehicle fleet shall include:

a) replacement policy;

b) procurement of additional vehicles;

c) reserve vehicles; and

d) a maintenance programme.

7.2. Replacement of Vehicles

Every fire brigade should have a documented emergency vehicle replacement programmes which will ensure that older and obsolete chassis (cab, pump, gearbox, engine) are replaced systematically. Frontline emergency vehicles should be replaced in accordance with the recommendations of table below.

Type of vehicle / equipment Maximum number of years service

Pumping appliances 15 Aerial appliances 20 Off – road vehicles 10 Special appliances 20 Light vehicles 8

Replacement periods as quoted from SANS 10090

A replacement programme should ensure that newer and older vehicles are spread as evenly as possible throughout the fleet to avoid too many ageing emergency vehicles remaining in commission simultaneously.

Provision must also be made in the replacement programme to replace problematic vehicles sooner than the maximum prescribed period. Such vehicles should include units which have high maintenance and repair costs and vehicles which do not serve the purpose for which they were intended.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______7.3. Procurement of Additional Vehicles

Fire brigades should assess the suitability of their emergency vehicle fleet on a regular basis to ensure that the department has a fleet which has the capacity, capability and flexibility to meet the needs of the changing and expanding fire risks of the community.

Where necessary, the emergency vehicle fleet should be increased by the procurement of suitable, additional vehicles in accordance with a specification compiled by competent persons.

The use of refurbished vehicles should not be used for first turnout appliances.

Refurbished vehicles used for support functions should be tested and certified annually.

Re-manufactured vehicles are deemed suitable for frontline emergency use when certified by a competent automotive engineer.

7.4. Reserve Fleets

Fire departments should maintain a reserve emergency vehicle fleet to ensure that the number of vehicles required to attend an incident, in a particular fire risk area, can be maintained even when frontline emergency vehicles are undergoing maintenance or repair.

Reserve emergency vehicles may be utilised by overtime personnel who are called back on-duty when very large or numerous incidents are in progress. Reserve emergency vehicle fleets should comply with the recommendations of table below.

Type of appliance Required number

Emergency pumping appliances One reserve unit in cases where the required fleet consists of five or less pumping appliances. Twenty percent of the required fleet plus one additional reserve unit if the required number of pumping appliances exceeds five. Aerial appliances Sufficient reserve units should be available to ensure that the aerial appliance portion of the fleet is not reduced by more than one aerial appliance at a time Off road vehicles As per pumping appliance Special appliances Nil – provided that acceptable temporary arrangements can be made whilst a frontline appliance is out of commission Light vehicles As per special appliances

Number of reserve vehicles as quoted from SANS 10090

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______Emergency vehicles which have been taken out of service may be used as reserve vehicles provided that such vehicles are certified to be suitable for reserve purposes by a competent automotive engineer and a competent fire officer (competent in appliances evaluation) annually.

No emergency vehicle which has been taken out of service should form part of a reserve fleet for more than five years beyond the maximum number of years of service for that particular category of vehicle.

7.5. Vehicle Maintenance Programme

All emergency vehicles should be subjected to regular, documented maintenance carried out by competent persons.

When developing a maintenance programme the vehicle manufacturer’s requirements and recommendations should be included.

Safety checks shall form an integral part of all maintenance programmes.

In fire departments which handle a large number of incidents per vehicle all emergency vehicles should be serviced at least once every six months or sooner.

In addition to routine servicing at least one major service should be carried out on each vehicle annually.

At fire station level, emergency vehicles should be subjected to routine daily checks to ensure immediate serviceability for operational use. Defects revealed during routine daily vehicle checks should be remedied immediately where possible.

Defects affecting an emergency vehicle’s operational ability should be referred to competent maintenance personnel.

Where fire pumps, aerial platforms or aerial ladders form part of an emergency vehicle or its equipment, the necessary maintenance, checks and tests, prescribed by the manufacturer, should be carried out and documented.

Unless the manufacturer’s directives require anything to the contrary all fire pumps, aerial platforms and aerial ladders should be checked and tested on initial acceptance, quarterly and on any other occasion should such a check or test be deemed necessary.

Additional annual tests and checks should be conducted to assess pump, aerial platform or aerial ladder performance, where such assessments are not a compulsory part of the quarterly assessments.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______7.6. Equipment Maintenance

Emergency vehicles should carry a complete range and quantity of equipment suitable for the specific type of vehicle and adequate for use at incidents within the fire risk categories protected.

All equipment should be subject to replacement and procurement policies and testing, examination, checking and maintenance procedures.

All fire department equipment should be subjected to regular, documented examination, testing and maintenance.

Occupational safety and the recommendations of the manufacturer shall be included in all examination, testing and maintenance programmes.

Procedures for examining, testing and maintenance shall include the following:

a) the frequency at which the procedure must be carried out;

b) how the procedure is to be performed;

c) at what level of supervision the procedure must be performed;

d) how defects detected during the procedure must be remedied;

e) suitable records

7.7. Replacement of Equipment

Every fire brigade should regularly assess its equipment to determine whether or not such equipment is obsolete or unserviceable.

Documented annual equipment replacement programmes should be developed to ensure that obsolete and unserviceable equipment is replaced systematically.

7.8. Procurement of Additional Equipment

All fire department equipment should be assessed regularly to ensure that the equipment is suitable for the changing and expanding fire risks in the community and to keep abreast of developments. Where necessary additional equipment should be procured.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______8. TRAINING

8.1. General

Efficient training of fire-fighting personnel is essential to the effective performance of a fire brigade.

8.2. Training Components

Service delivery relies extensively on the abilities and competence of staff responding to the incident.

Emergency services should, for the fire extinguishing function and in relation to the risk profile covered, have implemented the following as a minimum recommendation:

a) personnel selection, appointment and advancement criteria detailing qualifications and experience requirements for all posts;

b) suitable provisions, planning and record keeping for initial, continuation, conversion and specialist training for fire-fighters and officers; and

c) accurate records for all training attended and conducted by subject and staff members.

Several firefighters from Cacadu District recently attended training at the Rural Metro Academy. In this picture, students are undergoing Search and Rescue simulation using Breathing Apparatus in Zero Visibility

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______8.3. Firefighter and Officer Training Phases

Initial Training

Shall include basic training and specialist courses.

Continuation Training

Continuation training shall be conducted regularly on the station to consolidate and practice knowledge and skills during initial training and help ensure that proficiency is maintained.

Conversion Training

To update skills and knowledge as a result of the acquisition of new equipment or changes in policies and procedures, conversion training shall be conducted.

8.4. Minimum Training Requirements

Recommendations as given in the table below should be considered as the minimum training requirements.

Type of training Class of personnel Full or part – time (Paid Volunteer or reservist (Unpaid personnel) personnel) Duration of training hours per month Initial (basic) Firefighter (1)* As given in an approved and accredited curriculum in accordance with NQF requirements Continuation training * 20 4 Conversion training * As and when required * Fire – fighters and officers

Minimum training requirements as quoted from SANS 10090

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An example of Rural Metro firefighters undergoing live fire training.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______9. FIRE PREVENTION / FIRE SAFETY

9.1. General

Fire prevention is an important feature of the fire service and it has been proven that in brigades where this division of the service is efficiently organized fire losses have been reduced by more than 20 %. The purpose of fire prevention measures is to prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards that contribute to the occurrence and spread of fire.

9.2. Fire Prevention Inspections

Authorities should conduct fire safety inspections in response to complaints or requests or both to assist owners, occupiers, and developers and to satisfy local requirements for scheduled routine inspection of all occupancies other than dwellings as given in bylaws or other applicable legislation.

The inspection capacity can be supplemented by the use of suitably trained and experienced operational staff.

Effective records of all inspection activities should be maintained. Records should include the name of the inspecting official, the date of inspection, the findings and recommendations and should indicate whether the activity warrants a follow-up.

All outstanding activities should be logged as current until abated as required.

Fire safety inspections would include monitoring of service and maintenance of basic fire fighting equipment as required in terms of legislation

9.3. Regulation of Hazardous

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______Activities

Departments should regulate the storage, transportation, processing, sale and handling of flammable liquids and gases and other substances that could lead to the existence of dangerous conditions that could affect life safety or property loss, or both.

Distinction between vehicles and premises should be made in respect of certificates of registration.

Certificates shall have a limited period of validity not exceeding 12 months.

Suitable records regarding registration should be maintained and be available.

9.4. Reviewing of Building Plans

A suitable system should be in place for the evaluation of building proposals and plans to ensure compliance with sections T1 and T2 of SANS 10400 or rational designs.

A record of all plans or designs received, evaluated and recommendations should be maintained.

Fire safety officials should ensure suitable inspections are carried out during construction and prior to occupation to ensure compliance.

9.5. Pre – fire Planning and Risk Visits

Pre –fire Planning

A formal pre-fire plan should be available for key special risks and other premises as deemed necessary by brigade management. Accurate records should be kept of the latest revisions and details of emergency exercises involving the brigade.

Risk Visits

Risk visits to all special risks and other specific industrial or commercial risks scheduled by brigades should be conducted by operational staff for familiarization purposes with regard to the layout of the premises, processes or contents and fire protection features. Risk visits should be a planned function with accurate records of visits conducted and staff involved.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______10. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Every fire brigade should implement a suitable occupational health and safety programme in accordance with NFPA 1500. The programme should include a written policy to provide a safe and healthy work environment for all its members including:

a) vehicle/appliance design/maintenance;

b) health and safety education programme;

c) protective clothing/equipment requirements;

d) emergency operations; and

e) fire station facilities.

Every brigade shall fully meet the needs of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993).

The lack of staff and equipment at the various fire stations is considered to be a serious breach of the Act.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______11. COMMUNICATIONS

11.1. General

Each brigade should be equipped with suitable facilities to enable rapid communication between the community, the call centre, headquarters and units operating at a fire. These shall include the following:

a) a suitable number of telephone lines;

b) alarm, radio or callout facilities to dispatch crews; and

c) voice logging on emergency lines and radios with date and time imprint, queuing facilities and, if necessary, trouble signal facilities.

Emergency crew on Public Inform scene reports back to control Communications Centre

Communications Centre Logs Call and dispatches Emergency Responders

A schematic diagram of a fire brigade comunication system

11.2. Telephone Lines

Lines should be subdivided as follows:

a) a number of lines shall be dedicated to emergency calls only, and b) at least one line for administration.

NOTE The number of lines for administration will be determined by the brigade’s needs.

Population served Number of dedicated emergency lines

Up to 40 000 1 40 001 – 125 000 2 125 001 – 300 000 3 Over 300 000 4

Emergency lines as quoted from SANS 10090

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______11.3. Control Centre Operators (Dispatchers / Controllers)

There should be sufficient operators so that calls are answered within 15 seconds and appropriate response dispatched within 30 seconds of the call being completed.

It should not take longer than 60 seconds to take the call once the phone is answered.

For up to two operators, access to a supervisor is required. For three or more operators, a supervisor shall be on duty in the control centre.

An example of a Fire Brigade Control Centre (Call taking and dispatching)

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

PART C

PRESENT STATUS AND CAPACITY OF EXISTING FIRE BRIGADE SERVICES

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______PRESENT STATUS AND CAPACITY OF EXISTING FIRE BRIGADE SERVICES

1. BAVIAANS LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Baviaans Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Steytlerville,

 Willowmore.

Map of Baviaans Local Municipality Area

Steytlerville Willowmore

Map of the Baviaans Local Municipality Area

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 16 522.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N9 and R329.

The approximate distance between Willowmore and Steytlerville is 84 kilometers.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Steytlerville

Description Yes No Low cost housing settlements X Formal housing suburbs X Central business district / area X Light industrial area X Heavy industry X Hospitals / clinics X Petrol stations X Bulk fuel depots X Schools X Large Shopping Centres X Railway lines X National roads (e.g. N2) X Airfields X

Summary of Steytlerville Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______Willowmore

Summary of Willowmore Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

The hospital in Willowmore

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______Brief description of Fire Station facilities.

Steytlerville has no fire station facility.

Willowmore has no fire station facility. The fire brigade vehicle and equipment is housed in a municipal store-room.

The municipal store used to house the fire brigade vehicle and equipment in Willowmore

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Steytlerville has no fire brigade vehicle available.

Willowmore is in possession of a Light Delivery Vehicle fitted with a “Skid Unit”, and a firefighting trailer, both provided by the Cacadu District Municipality.

 Registration DJP927EC : Light Delivery Vehicle type unit carrying a skid unit and very basic equipment : Condition - Good,

 Registration DYM637EC : water trailer : Condition - Good.

At present, the Baviaans Municipality has no “fire engine”. The highest level of firefighting vehicle is the L.D.V. provided by the Cacadu District Municipality.

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An example of the LDV firefighting unit provided by the Cacadu District Municipality

Fire Brigade Staff Available

Steytlerville has no fire brigade staff

The Baviaans municipality has no full – time fire brigade staff. The fire-fighting function in both Steytlerville and Willowmore is performed by other municipal staff on a part – time basis.

Fire Brigade Equipment

Steytlerville has no fire brigade equipment.

Willowmore has only very basic equipment such as fire hose and hydrant equipment.

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

The Baviaans Municipality has no 24 hour control centre. During office hours the community use the municipal switchboard and after hours contact is with a cellular phone carried by an official on “standby”.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______2. BLUE CRANE ROUTE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Blue Crane Route Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Cookhouse,

 Pearston,

 Somerset East,

Map of the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality

Pearston

Cookhouse

Somerset - East

Map of the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality Area

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 36 798.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N10, R61, R63, and R390,

The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Somerset – East to Pearston : 50 Km.

 Somerset – East to Cookhouse : 25 Km.

 Cookhouse to Pearston : 25 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Cookhouse

Summary of Cookhouse Town Risk Infrastructure

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Pearston

Summary of Various Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Somerset - East

Summary of Somerset – East Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Central business district

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes

Brief description of Fire Station facilities.

Cookhouse has no fire station.

Pearston has no fire station.

Somerset – East has no fire station. Vehicles are presently housed in the traffic testing station and a municipal workshop.

Consideration is apparently being given to utilizing an abandoned municipal market building in the CBD.

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The municipal market building that may be converted into a fire station

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Cookhouse has no fire brigade vehicles.

Pearston has no fire brigade vehicles.

Somerset – East has one of the LDV’s provided by Cacadu District Municipality. It also has two an Land cruiser type unit and a trailer. (Both of the later two units are obviously extremely old and unserviceable).

The total fleet is;

 L.D.V. Unit Registration CYW127EC, provided by the District Municipality. Condition – Good.

 Land cruiser unit Registration CDV245EC, Extremely old and out of service.

 Trailer unit (No Registration available), Extremely old and out of service.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

The LDV provided by Cacadu District Municipality

A Firefighting trailer tank presently out of service

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

The land cruiser type firefighting vehicle also presently out of service

It is understood that the Blue Crane Route Municipality will receive a fire engine from the Cacadu District Municipality in January / February 2009.

Fire Brigade Staff Available

Cookhouse has no fire brigade staff.

Pearston has no fire brigade staff.

Somerset – East has no full time fire brigade staff. Traffic officials and 8 volunteers perform the firefighting function when the need arises.

Fire Brigade Equipment

Cookhouse has no fire brigade equipment.

Pearston has no fire brigade equipment.

Somerset – East has very little firefighting equipment available. It is limited to the hose and hydrant equipment carried on the firefighting LDV.

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Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

Cookhouse has no emergency call centre.

Pearston has no emergency call centre.

Somerset – East has no communication centre. All communication is by Cell phone

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

3. CAMDEBOO LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Camdeboo Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Aberdeen,

 Graaff-Reinet,

 Nieu-Bethesda

Map of Camdeboo Local Municipality Area

Neiu - Bethesda

Aberdeen

Graaff - Reinet

Map of the Camdeboo Local Municipality Area

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 51 601

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N9, R63, and R61.

The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Graaff – Reinet to Aberdeen : 55 Km.

 Graaff – Reinet to Neiu – Bethesda : 52 Km.

 Neiu – Bethesda to Aberdeen : 107 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Aberdeen

Summary of Aberdeen Town Risk Infrastructure

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Graaf – Reinet

Summary of Graaff - Reinet Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Yes

Category B : Yes

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Neiu – Bethesda

Summary of Neiu - Bethesda Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Brief description of Fire Station facilities.

Aberdeen has a fire brigade vehicle housed in a small purpose built garage.

At the time of the audit, no municipal staff were present and the building was found unlocked and the ignition key in the fire tender.

We were shown around inside the building by young civilian youths. It is unwise to leave such an important vehicle accessible to unauthorized persons.

The vehicle and it’s equipment are open to theft and sabotage and may not be effective at the time of an emergency.

The unknown youths that had access into the fire brigade building and the fire tender can be seen inside the rear of the building

A view from the front of the Aberdeen fire station structure

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Neiu – Bethesda has no fire brigade premises.

The Graaff – Reinet Fire station is well situated in the Central Business District and is shared with the municipal traffic section.

The Graaff – Reinet fire station facility consists of the following infrastructure;

Secure parking bays; Yes Outdoor parking shelters; No Ablution facilities; Yes 24 hour watch-room / communications No centre; Sleeping area for crew; No Workshops; No Kitchen facilities; Yes Drill / training yard area; No Lecture room and aids; No Public address system / fire bells; No Office space; Yes Adequate reception area; Yes Drill / Hose tower; No Perimeter security Yes

Summary of Graaff – Reinet fire station facilities

The Graaff – Reinet fire station facility presently shared with traffic services.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

A view of the administration building situated to the left of the fire station shown in the above picture.

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Aberdeen has a Dennis fire brigade vehicle Registration BSS406EC - Old .

Neiu – Bethesda has no fire brigade vehicles.

Graaff Reinet has the following fire brigade vehicles available;

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Type Description Registration Age Condition Ford Cargo Light Pump CCW882EC Old Fair Chevlolet Fire Tender CFV662EC Old Fair Magirus Fire Tender BGK582EC Reconditioned Good Ford F250 Light Pump BXZ203EC Old Fair

Graaff – Reinet Fire Brigade Vehicles

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One of he light pumps (Front view)

Another view of the above vehicle

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

The refurbished Magirus Fire Tender

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Fire Brigade Staff Available

Aberdeen has 5 volunteer firefighters. (No full – time fire brigade staff).

Neiu – Bethesda has 8 volunteer firefighters (No full – time fire brigade staff).

Graaff – Reinet has no full time fire brigade staff. The fire brigade function is performed by 5 municipal officials who perform in the dual role of Traffic Officer / Firefighter (Protection Officers). . Fire Brigade Equipment

Aberdeen has only basic fire brigade equipment on the Dennis fire tender

A view inside the sparsely equipped Aberdeen Fire Tender. Note the old abandoned fire hose in the picture on the right.

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Neiu – Bethesda has no fire brigade equipment.

The Graaff – Reinet fire station has only basic fire brigade equipment.

It was noted during the tour of the fire station that some new equipment is kept locked away in a store and it is felt that all such equipment, if not duplicated should be carried on the fire brigade vehicles rather than be locked up and not immediately available for use at emergency incidents.

There is no “Jaws of life” equipment and this rescue / extrication function is generally performed by the Provincial Ambulance service.

Some of the equipment noted in the fire station is old and perhaps unserviceable.

It appears that there is generally a lack of daily hands on management of fire brigade equipment.

Some of the fire brigade equipment in the Graaff – Reinet fire station

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

Aberdeen has no communications centre.

Neiu – Bethesda has no communications centre.

Graaf –Reinett has no communication centre. Emergency calls are usually received by the Provincial Ambulance service or South African Police Services and then relayed to the fire / traffic official on standby.

Fire Brigade Response

Weight of Response

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Per Pumping Units Appliance

A 2 5 B 2 4 C 1 4 D 1 4

Weight of response

The Camdeboo fire brigade service is not able to comply with the vehicle and staff levels as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to insufficient firefighting vehicles and insufficient fire brigade staff

Speed of Response

Risk Category Maximum call Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance receipt & turn – out Travel Time Attendance Time time (Minutes) (Minutes) (Minutes)

A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23

Speed of response

Whilst it may appear that the Graaf Reinett fire station may be able to meet the “Speed of Response” levels set out in the above table for the Graaf – Reinett central business district and immediate surrounds, This is highly unlikely due to the delayed reporting and response times that can be expected from not having a 24 hour call taking and dispatching facility. (Control Centre).

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It is therefore safe to say that the Camdeboo fire brigade service is not able to comply with the time frames as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 1009 due to lack of Control centre, inadequate fire engines and inadequate trained staffing levels.

Location of Fire Stations

Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories appliance km/h (Square Km).

A B C D

25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Fire station locations

Camdeboo is not in compliance with the response areas as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to not having sufficient fully equipped fire stations to cover the response area.

Vehicle and equipment maintenance.

Is there a formal vehicle replacement policy ? No Is the replacement policy complied with ? No Is there an adequate reserve fleet ? No

Type of vehicle / equipment Maximum number of years service

Pumping appliances 15 Aerial appliances 20 Off – road vehicles 10 Special appliances 20 Light vehicles 8

Replacement periods as quoted from SANS 10090

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Are vehicles subjected to a formal service and No testing programme ? Are fire tenders subjected to formal pump No tests ? Is equipment subjected to a formal standard No testing programme ? Are vehicle and equipment checks done at No the start of every shift ? Are the tests mentioned above documented ? No

Fire Prevention

Does the brigade have a formal Fire No Prevention Section ? Are inspections documented adequately ? No Does the town have adequate Flammable No Liquids Bylaws ? Does the brigade participate in building plan No reviews ?

Water Supplies

Are all suburbs adequately provided with No fire hydrants ? Are all fire hydrants of one standard type ? No Are fire hydrants of the same type as No neighboring fire brigades ? Is there an effective fire hydrant test No programme ? Are fire hydrants adequately marked for easy No location (Day & Night) ?

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

4. IKWEZI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Ikwezi Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Jansenville,

 Klipplaat.

Map of Ikwezi Local Municipality Area

Jansenville

Klipplaat

Map of the Ikwezi Local Municipality Area

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A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 9 144.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 R75, R329, and R338.

The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Jansenville to Klipplaat : 35 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Jansenville

Summary of Jansenville Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Klipplaat

Summary of Klipplaat Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : No

Brief description of Fire Station facility.

Jansenville has no fire station. Vehicles housed in municipal workshop.

Klipplaat has no fire station facility

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Jansenville has an LDV and a water trailer. Both of these unit were not available for viewing at the time of the audit. Ikwezi has no fire engine and the highest level of fire fighting vehicle is therefore the L.D.V. with the skid unit.

Klipplaat has no fire brigade vehicles.

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Fire Brigade Staff Available

Jansenville has only one full – time officer, assisted by part – timers and Working on fire.

Klipplaat has no fire brigade staff.

It was noted however that there is a Working on Fire team based at Jansenville.

Fire Brigade Equipment

Jansenville has only basic fire brigade equipment. It was noted that items such as breathing apparatus are stored in the fire officer’s office. This is probably the best practice considering that there is no fire engine upon which this valuable and expensive equipment can be stored and conveyed to emergency incidents.

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

Jansenville has no communications centre.

Klipplaat has no communications centre.

All communication is done by cellular telephone.

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5. KOUGA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY FIRE BRIGADE SERVICE

The Koega Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Hankey,

 Humansdorp,

 Jeffreys Bay,

 Oyster Bay,

 Patensie,

 St Francis Bay,

 Cape St Francis.

Map of Kouga Local Municipality Area

Patensie

Hankey

Humansdorp

Oyster Bay

Jeffreys Bay

Cape St Francis

Map of the Kouga Local Municipality Area

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A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 88 254.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N2, R62, R330, and R331.

The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Humansdorp to Hankey : 28 Km.

 Humansdorp to Patensie : 42 Km.

 Patensie to Hankey : 14 Km.

 Humansdorp to Jeffreys Bay : 17 Km.

 Humansdorp to Oyster Bay : 19 Km.

 Humansdorp to Cape St Francis : 24 Km.

Hankey

Description Yes No Informal squatter settlements X Low cost housing settlements X Formal housing suburbs X Central business district / area X Light industrial area X Heavy industry X Hospitals / clinics X Petrol stations X Bulk fuel depots X Schools X Large Shopping Centres X Prisons X Railway lines X National roads (e.g. N2) X Airfields X

Summary of Hankey Town Risk Infrastructure

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General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Humansdorp

Summary of Humansdorp Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Yes

Category B : Yes

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes

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Jeffreys Bay

Summary of Jeffreys Bay Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Yes

Category B : Yes

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes

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Oyster Bay

Summary of Various Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Patensie

Summary of Various Town Risk Infrastructure

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General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

St Francis Bay / Cape St Francis

Summary of Various Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes - Harbour

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Brief description of Fire Station facilities.

Hankey has no fire station facility.

Oyster Bay has no fire station facility.

Patensie Has no fire station facility.

The Humansdorp Fire station consists of the following infrastructure;

Secure parking bays; Yes Outdoor parking shelters; No Ablution facilities; Yes 24 hour watch-room / communications Yes centre; Sleeping area for crew; Yes Workshops; Yes Kitchen facilities; Yes Drill / training yard area; No Lecture room and aids; Yes Public address system / fire bells; No Office space; Yes Adequate reception area; Yes Drill / Hose tower; No Perimeter security Yes

Summary of Humansdorp fire station facilities

The current fire station is situated on the outskirts of the central business district. The facility was previously a Road Traffic Vehicle Testing Station.

This building also houses the communications centre.

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The Fire Station in Humansdorp

The Jeffreys Bay fire station, at first glance from the outside, appears to be a reasonable facility.

The Jeffreys Bay Fire Station

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When entering the facility, It was surprising to note that most of the structure has been taken over by another municipal department and what appears to have originally been a “two bay” fire station is now reduced to a single bay fire station facility.

The same vehicle parking bay serves not only to house the fire engine but must also accommodate the fire crew for the following;

 Sleeping area,

 Recreation (TV),

 Food preparation.

Note the bed, lounge suite, Fridge, TV, cupboard and Clothes drying – all in the Same area within the fire engine parking bay.

The Cape St Francis / St Francis Bay area is fortunate to have a fire station facility. This station however, has only one fire engine and is manned by volunteers.

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The Cape St Francis fire station.

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Hankey has no fire brigade vehicles.

Jeffreys Bay has one Dennis fire engine.

Oyster Bay has no fire brigade vehicles.

Patensie has no fire brigade vehicles.

Cape St Francis has one fire engine.

Humansdorp has most of the fire brigade vehicles stationed centrally. These are;

Type Description Registration Year Condition LDV Rescue Vehicle DVD611EC 2007 Good Hino Medium Pump DBS430EC 2008 Accident Nissan Tanker BLH195EC 1990 Old but fair Dennis Fire Tender CLP384EC 1993 Old but fair Dennis Fire Tender DVS442EC 1994 Old but fair LDV Skid Unit DBT442EC 2003 Good Toyota Tanker BLH197EC 1991 Poor Unreliable GMC Medium Pump CFL662EC 1987 Poor Unreliable

Fire Brigade Vehicles

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The best of the fire engines was a new unit recently supplied by the Cacadu District Municipality. This unit was unfortunately damaged in an accident and is therefore not available.

A Fire Brigade LDV fitted with a skid unit.

The Double Cab Response Vehicle

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The Dennis Fire Tender Based in Humansdorp (A similar unit is based in Jeffreys Bay).

Fire Brigade Staff Available

Hankey has no fire brigade staff.

Jeffreys Bay is staffed by a small crew who only work nights. (i.e. there is no response crew during daylight hours).

Oyster Bay has no firefighters.

Patensie has no firefighters.

Cape St Francis ,has four volunteer firefighters.

The majority of the Kouga fire brigade staff are based at the Humansdorp fire station. These include;

 Chief Fire Officer,

 Platoon Officer (Fire Safety) (Vacant),

 Senior Firefighters x 4,

 Firefighters x 15,

 Control Room Operators x 3.

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Fire Brigade Equipment

Hankey has no fire brigade equipment.

Jeffreys Bay has limited equipment stored on the fire engine.

Oyster Bay has no fire brigade equipment.

Patensie has no fire brigade equipment.

Cape St Francis has limited equipment on the fire engine.

The majority of the equipment is housed centrally on the fire brigade vehicles at Humansdorp.

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

All fire brigade call taking and dispatching is done centrally at the communications centre housed in the Humansdorp fire station.

Does the fire service have a communications centre ? Yes Does it operate 24 hours ? Yes How many operators ? 1 per shift Is there a supervisor ? (Only operations officer) No Is there a voice logger on all radio and telephone facilities ? No How many telephone lines ? 3 Does the communications centre serve other services ? Yes Are all fire brigade vehicles equipped with two – way radios ? Yes Adequate kitchen ? No Adequate Furniture ? No Adequate ablution facilities ? No Radio link with SAPS ? No Radio link with ambulance service ? Yes Standby generator ? No (Portable Unit) Computers ? No Manual or computerized occurrence book ? Manual Fire Alarm monitoring system ? No

Does the fire brigade have access to adequate handheld two – way Yes radios ? Does the fire brigade have a documented radio procedure ? No

Summary of communications facilities

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A view of the 24 hour communications centre.

Fire Brigade Response

Weight of Response

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Per Pumping Units Appliance

A 2 5 B 2 4 C 1 4 D 1 4

Weight of response

The Kouga fire brigade service is not able to comply with the vehicle and staff levels as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to insufficient firefighting vehicles and insufficient fire brigade staff

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Speed of Response

Risk Category Maximum call Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance receipt & turn – out Travel Time Attendance Time time (Minutes) (Minutes) (Minutes)

A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23

Speed of response

Whilst the Humansdorp fire station may be able to meet the “Speed of Response” levels set out in the above table for the Humansdorp central business district and immediate surrounds, This is highly unlikely for the remainder of the Kouga area of jurisdiction.

It is therefore safe to say that the Kouga fire brigade service is not able to comply with the time frames as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 1009 due to inadequate number of fire stations, inadequate number of fire engines and inadequate staffing levels.

Location of Fire Stations

Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories appliance km/h (Square Km).

A B C D

25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Fire station locations

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Kouga is not in compliance with the response areas as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to not having sufficient fully equipped fire stations to cover the response area.

Vehicle and equipment maintenance.

Is there a formal vehicle replacement policy ? No Is the replacement policy complied with ? No Is there an adequate reserve fleet ? No

Type of vehicle / equipment Maximum number of years service

Pumping appliances 15 Aerial appliances 20 Off – road vehicles 10 Special appliances 20 Light vehicles 8

Replacement periods as quoted from SANS 10090

Are vehicles subjected to a formal service and No testing programme ? Are fire tenders subjected to formal pump No tests ? Is equipment subjected to a formal standard No testing programme ? Are vehicle and equipment checks done at Yes the start of every shift ? Are the tests mentioned above documented ? Yes

Fire Prevention

The entire Kouga fire brigade fire prevention function is generally dealt with by the Humansdorp staff. The senior fire prevention officer post is presently vacant.

Does the brigade have a formal Fire Yes (Senior post vacant) Prevention Section ? Are inspections documented adequately ? Yes Does the town have adequate Flammable No Liquids Bylaws ? Does the brigade participate in building plan No reviews ?

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Water Supplies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

6. KOU – KAMMA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Kou – Kamma Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Joubertina,

 Kareedouw,

Map of Kou – Kamma Local Municipality

Joubertina

Kareedouw

Map of the Kou – Kamma Local Municipality Area

A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 45 464.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N2, and R62.

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The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Joubertina to Kareedouw : 44 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Joubertina

Summary of Joubertina Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Kareedouw

Summary of Kareedouw Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Brief description of Fire Station facility.

Joubertina has no fire station facility.

Kareedouw has no fire station facility. ( The fire engine stands in the open at the municipal office).

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Joubertina has no fire brigade vehicles.

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Kareedouw has three units. These are;

 A Fire Engine Registration DMP397EC, provided by the district municipality – condition : fair,

 An L.D.V. with skid unit Registration DJP886EC, also provided by the district municipality – Condition unknown due to away for accident repair,

 A water trailer Registration DZL108EC, also provided by the district municipality. Condition unknown due to away on farm for fire standby.

The Kareedouw fire tender provided by the District Municipality

Fire Brigade Staff Available

Joubertina has no fire brigade staff.

Kareedouw has a Chief Fire Officer and about 3 firefighters. It was also noted that a Working on fire crew is based at Kareedouw.

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Fire Brigade Equipment

Kareedouw has only basic fire fighting equipment as can be seen in these pictures of the fire tender lockers

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

Kou – Kamma fire brigade service has no control centre. All emergency calls are received by the Chief Fire Officer’s Cellular telephone.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

7. MAKANA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Makana Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Alicedale,

 Grahamstown,

 Riebeeck East.

Map of Makana Local Municipality

Riebeeck East

Grahamstown

Alicedale

Map of the Makana Local Municipality Area

A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 140 120.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N2, R67, and R350.

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The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Grahamstown to Alicedale : 53 Km.

 Grahamstown to Riebeeck East : 40 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Alicedale

Summary of Alicedale Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Grahamstown

Summary of Grahamstown Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Yes

Category B : Yes

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes – Including;

Riebeeck East

Summary of Riebeeck East Town Risk Infrastructure

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General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Brief description of Fire Station facilities

Alicedale and Riebeeck East have no fire station facilities.

The Grahamstown fire station has Fire station consist of the following infrastructure;

Secure parking bays; Yes Outdoor parking shelters; Yes Ablution facilities; Yes 24 hour watch-room / communications Yes centre; Sleeping area for crew; Yes Workshops; Yes Kitchen facilities; Yes Drill / training yard area; Yes Lecture room and aids; Yes Public address system / fire bells; Yes Office space; Yes Adequate reception area; Yes Drill / Hose tower; Yes Perimeter security Yes Yes

Summary of Grahamstown fire station facilities

Whilst the above table indicates that Grahamstown fire station has all the basic required facilities, it must be appreciated that the structure housing the fire station was built many years ago, at a time when the “fire engines” were not motorised vehicles but were steam powered and drawn by horses. The building even had horse stables in those days.

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The present day building has over the years, been modified to accommodate the modern day fire brigade service as best as possible.

It follows therefore, that whilst the facilities exist, they are often cramped and limited and not up to modern day standards.

It was pleasing to note during the tour, that the facilities that the brigade does have are kept very clean and well maintained by a dedicated, motivated, disciplined and very polite staff.

Note the three different structures built over time to make one station

A view of the front of the Grahamstown fire station.

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A view of the front of the fire station lecture room with our host the Chief Fire Officer.

A view of the training and hose drying tower at the rear of the Grahamstown fire station.

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Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Alicedale and Riebeeck East have no fire brigade vehicles.

Grahamstown has the following vehicles which cover the entire Makana area of jurisdiction;

Type Description Registration Year Condition ERF Fire Engine BPG289EC 1991 Old but Fair Tanker 5000 litre BMP024EC 1989 Old but Fair Unimog Bush Unit Refurbished Fair Toyota Land Bush Unit BNC071EC 1979 Old but Fair cruiser Opel Cadet Response Car BPG305EC 1995 Fair Nissan Hardbody Bush Unit DJP816EC 2005 Good Isuzu D Cab Service Vehicle BDN383EC 1996 Refurbished Good Toyota Venture Rescue Unit BJT322EC 1995 Good Trailer Hazmat DPS534EC - Fair Trailer Rescue DDM764EC - Good Trailer Disaster EMV941EC - Good Management Trailer Rescue DRP754EC - Good

Grahamstown Fire Brigade Vehicles

The largest fire engine of the Grahamstown fleet.

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The land cruiser bush fire unit

A double cab support vehicle

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

A view of the LDV bush fire unit, the sedan response car and the venture rescue vehicle.

Fire Brigade Equipment

Alicedale and Riebeeck East have no fire brigade equipment.

Grahamstown is noted to be rather well equipped and is more in need of vehicle upgrades rather than equipment.

A view of the firefighters protective clothing kept in readiness for quick response to emergency calls.

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Fire Brigade Staff

Alicedale and Riebeeck East have no fire brigade staff.

Grahamstown has a formal full – time fire brigade staff structure which is headed by the Chief Fire Officer. The present number of firefighters on duty is limited to only three. There have been recent additional posts approved by the Council and the strength of the staff structure is improving.

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

The Makana fire brigade service has a 24 hour control centre, located within the Grahamstown fire station.

Does the fire service have a communications centre ? Yes Does it operate 24 hours ? Yes How many operators ? 1 per shift Is there a supervisor ? (Function performed by Operations) No Is there a voice logger on all radio and telephone facilities ? No How many telephone lines ? 3 Does the communications centre serve other services ? Yes Are all fire brigade vehicles equipped with two – way radios ? Yes Adequate kitchen ? No Adequate Furniture ? No Adequate ablution facilities ? No Radio link with SAPS ? No Radio link with ambulance service ? Yes Standby generator ? No (Portable Unit) Computers ? No Manual or computerized occurrence book ? Manual Fire Alarm monitoring system ? No

Does the fire brigade have access to adequate handheld two – way Yes radios ? Does the fire brigade have a documented radio procedure ? No

Summary of communications facilities

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A view of the Makana Fire Brigade Communications Centre, Located within the Grahamstown Fire Station

Fire Brigade Response

Weight of Response

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Per Pumping Units Appliance

A 2 5 B 2 4 C 1 4 D 1 4

Weight of response

The Makana fire brigade service is not able to comply with the vehicle and staff levels as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to insufficient firefighting vehicles and insufficient fire brigade staff

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Speed of Response

Risk Category Maximum call Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance receipt & turn – out Travel Time Attendance Time time (Minutes) (Minutes) (Minutes)

A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23

Speed of response

Whilst the Grahamstown fire station may be able to meet the “Speed of Response” levels set out in the above table for the Grahamstown Central Business District and immediate surrounds, This is highly unlikely for the remainder of the Makana area of jurisdiction.

It is therefore safe to say that the Makana fire brigade service is not able to comply with the time frames as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 1009 due to lack of sufficient fire stations, inadequate number of fire engines and inadequate staffing levels.

Location of Fire Stations

Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories appliance km/h (Square Km).

A B C D

25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Fire station locations

Makana is not in compliance with the response areas as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to not having sufficient fully equipped fire stations to cover the response area.

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Vehicle and equipment maintenance.

Is there a formal vehicle replacement policy ? No Is the replacement policy complied with ? No Is there an adequate reserve fleet ? No

Type of vehicle / equipment Maximum number of years service

Pumping appliances 15 Aerial appliances 20 Off – road vehicles 10 Special appliances 20 Light vehicles 8

Replacement periods as quoted from SANS 10090

Are vehicles subjected to a formal service Yes – Municipal workshop and testing programme ? Are fire tenders subjected to formal pump Yes tests ? Is equipment subjected to a formal standard Yes testing programme ? Are vehicle and equipment checks done at Yes the start of every shift ? Are the tests mentioned above documented Yes ?

Fire Prevention

The entire Makana fire brigade fire prevention function is generally dealt with by the Grahamstown staff. A senior fire officer heads up this division.

Does the brigade have a formal Fire Yes Prevention Section ? Are inspections documented adequately ? Yes Does the town have adequate Flammable No Liquids Bylaws ? Does the brigade participate in building plan Yes reviews ?

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Water Supplies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

8. NDLAMBE LOCAL MUNCIPALITY

The Ndlambe Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Alexandria,

 Bathurst,

 Boknes,

 Bushman’s River,

 Cannon Rocks,

 Kenton-on-Sea,

 Port Alfred.

Map of Ndlambe Local Municipality Area

Bathurst

Port Alfred

Boknes

Alexandria

Kenton on Sea

Bushmans River

Cannon - Rocks

Map of the Ndlambe Local Municipality Area

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 58 927.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N2, R67, R72, and R342.

The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Port Alfred to Alexandria : 50 Km.

 Port Alfred to Bathurst : 17 Km.

 Port Alfred to Kenton – on – Sea : 25 Km.

 Kenton – on – Sea to Alexandria : 25 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Alexandria

Summary of Alexandria Town Risk Infrastructure

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General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Bathurst

Summary of Bathurst Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 133 (Pty) Ltd 2009

Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Kenton – on – Sea

Summary of Kenton – on – Sea Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : No applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Port Alfred

Summary of Port Alfred Town Risk Infrastructure

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General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Category E : Yes – Flight School, Marina etc.

Brief description of Fire Station facilities

Alexandria has no fire station.

Bathurst has no fire station.

Kenton – on – Sea has no fire engine. The fire engine is parked in a locked shed.

Port Alfred has a formal fire station, consisting of the following facilities;

Secure parking bays; Yes Outdoor parking shelters; No Ablution facilities; Yes 24 hour watch-room / communications Yes centre; Accommodation area for crew; Yes Workshops; No Kitchen facilities; Yes Drill / training yard area; No Lecture room and aids; No Public address system / fire bells; No Office space; Yes Adequate reception area; Yes Drill / Hose tower; No Perimeter security Yes

Summary of Port Alfred fire station facilities

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A view of the front of Port Alfred fire station.

The structure used to house the fire engine at Kenton – on - Sea

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Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Alexandria has no fire brigade vehicles. Kenton – on – Sea has one fire engine as seen in the picture above.

 Registration DMM218EC : A “Self built” fire truck. – This unit is old and should be replaced.

Bathurst has no fire brigade vehicles. Port Alfred has the following units available;

 Registration DLF772EC : A “Self built” fire truck. – This is an old unit and should be replaced.

 Registration BMB330 : A water tanker. – This is an old unit and should be replaced.

 Registration DJP599EC : An LDV with a skid unit – This is a unit recently provided by the District Municipality.

 Registration DSB229EC : A “Hazmat” trailer. – This unit is not equipped for any obvious purpose.

This unit appears to be the front line appliance. Note that it is not provided with the required equipment locker space. (This unit is similar to the unit stationed at Kenton – on Sea) (Also note the Hazmat unit trailer in the back of the picture).

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A rear view of the water tanker. Note that this unit is also not capable of conveying much additional equipment.

A front view of the above tanker.

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The LDV with skid unit, as provided by the District Municipality.

It is understood that the Ndlambe fire brigade service will be receiving a new fire tender from the district municipality in January / February 2009.

Fire Brigade Equipment Available

It appears that the fire fighting vehicles are not well equipped with the required basic equipment that should normally be carried on fire engines responding the structural fires and other serious incidents.

This may be due to the fact that the available vehicles are not provided with adequate equipment bunkers / lockers as evidenced in the above pictures.

It was also noted that the trailer marked “Hazmat was not substantially equipped for hazmat incidents.

It was also noted that the only available Hydraulic rescue tool pump (Jaws of Life) was stored in the Hazmat trailer and it’s appearance did not give the impression that it was in working condition.

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This equipment would normally be required for the extrication of persons trapped in vehicles at serious motor vehicle accidents). Firefighters reported that there is apparently a “new” rescue tool (Jaws of life set) locked in a store room and generally not available to them.

Fire Brigade Staff

The Port Alfred fire station is headed up by a Chief Fire Officer who commands a very limited number of operational firefighters.

During the audit visit it was noted that there were not sufficient crew on station to fully man one major fire tender.

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre)

The Ndlambe fire brigade service has a 24 hour control centre, located within the Port Alfred fire station.

Does the fire service have a communications centre ? Yes Does it operate 24 hours ? Yes How many operators ? 1 per shift Is there a supervisor ? No Is there a voice logger on all radio and telephone facilities ? No How many telephone lines ? 1 Does the communications centre serve other services ? Yes Are all fire brigade vehicles equipped with two – way radios ? No Adequate kitchen ? No Adequate Furniture ? No Adequate ablution facilities ? No Radio link with SAPS ? No Radio link with ambulance service ? Yes Standby generator ? No Computers ? No Manual or computerized occurrence book ? Manual Fire Alarm monitoring system ? No

Does the fire brigade have access to adequate handheld two – way No radios ? Does the fire brigade have a documented radio procedure ? No

Summary of communications facilities at Port Alfred

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A view of the control centre located within the Port Alfred fire station.

Fire Brigade Response

Weight of Response

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Per Pumping Units Appliance

A 2 5 B 2 4 C 1 4 D 1 4

Weight of response

The Ndlambe fire brigade service is not able to comply with the vehicle and staff levels as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to insufficient firefighting vehicles and insufficient fire brigade staff

Speed of Response

Risk Category Maximum call Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance receipt & turn – out Travel Time Attendance Time time (Minutes) (Minutes) (Minutes)

A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23

Speed of response ______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 141 (Pty) Ltd 2009

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Whilst the Port Alfred fire station may be able to meet the “Speed of Response” levels set out in the above table for the Port Alfred Central Business District and immediate surrounds, This is highly unlikely for the remainder of the Ndlambe area of jurisdiction.

It is therefore safe to say that the Ndlambe fire brigade service is not able to comply with the time frames as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 1009 due to lack of sufficient fire stations, inadequate number of fire engines and inadequate staffing levels.

Location of Fire Stations

Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories appliance km/h (Square Km).

A B C D

25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Fire station locations

Ndlambe is not in compliance with the response areas as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to not having sufficient fully equipped fire stations to cover the response area.

Vehicle and equipment maintenance.

Is there a formal vehicle replacement policy ? No Is the replacement policy complied with ? No Is there an adequate reserve fleet ? No

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Type of vehicle / equipment Maximum number of years service

Pumping appliances 15 Aerial appliances 20 Off – road vehicles 10 Special appliances 20 Light vehicles 8

Replacement periods as quoted from SANS 10090

Are vehicles subjected to a formal service No and testing programme ? Are fire tenders subjected to formal pump No tests ? Is equipment subjected to a formal standard No testing programme ? Are vehicle and equipment checks done at No the start of every shift ? Are the tests mentioned above documented No ?

Fire Prevention

The entire Ndlambe fire brigade fire prevention function is generally dealt with by the Port Alfred staff.

Water Supplies

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9. SUNDAYS RIVER LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Sundays River Valley Local Municipality includes the following towns and villages;

 Addo,

 Kirkwood

 Paterson

Map of Sundays River Local Municipality Area

Paterson Kirkwood

Addo

Map of the Sundays River Local Municipality Area

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A Brief Overview of the towns and villages with regard to Fire Brigade Services

The estimated population is in the region of 61 003.

The most significant roads passing through the area are the;

 N10, N2, R334, R335, R336, and R342.

The Nanaga interchange which has been the scene of many serious motor vehicle accidents also falls with the jurisdiction of the Sundays River Valley fire brigade service.

The approximate distance between the towns is;

 Kirkwood to Paterson : 65 Km.

 Kirkwood to Addo : 33 Km.

 Paterson to Addo : 37 Km.

Overview of Town Infrastructures

Addo

Summary of Addo Town Risk Infrastructure

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General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Kirkwood

Summary of Various Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Yes – Small Business Area.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Paterson

Summary of Paterson Town Risk Infrastructure

General Summary of Occupancy Risk Categories; (In terms of South African Bureau of Standard Code SANS 10090)

Category A : Not applicable.

Category B : Not applicable.

Category C : Yes – Formal and informal residential areas.

Category D : Yes – Rural residential occupancies

Brief description of Fire Station facilities.

Addo and Paterson have no fire station facilities. Kirkwood has a fire station consisting of the following facilities;

Summary of the Kirkwood fire station facilities ______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 147 (Pty) Ltd 2009

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A view of the Kirkwood fire station.

Fire Brigade Vehicles Available

Addo and Paterson have no fire brigade vehicles.

The Kirkwood fire station has the following units available;

 A LDV fitted with a skid unit. This vehicle is in good condition and was provided by the District Municipality.

 A Bedford open cab fire engine. This unit is very old and should not be in service. It requires replacement.

 A Hino fire engine. This unit is in good condition and was recently provided by the District Municipality.

It is understood that the main fire engine that was based in Kirkwood was involved in a collision with a train and damaged beyond repair. The fire engine now based at Kirkwood was in fact intended to be based at Paterson.

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The very old open cab Bedford fire engine. This unit was found at a workshop during the audit.

The LDV firefighting unit

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The fire tender presently based at Kirkwood

Fire Brigade Staff Available

The Sundays river valley fire brigade service has no fire brigade staff. The service is presently headed up by the Cacadu District Municipality Chief Fire Officer and the operational response component consists only of “Part – time / Retained” firefighters employed by the district municipality.

The staffing component implication is that in most instances, the first response to emergency incidents has no higher rank level in command of the responding unit than that of a retained firefighter. This situation is serious cause for concern.

Fire Brigade Equipment

The Sundays River Valley municipality has no fire brigade equipment. The equipment that is currently in use in the fire brigade service has been provided by the Cacadu District Municipality.

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Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

The Sundays River Valley municipality has no control centre. All communication is done by cellular telephone.

It is understood that the Cacadu District Municipality effectively handed the Fire Brigade Services function over to the Sundays River Local Municipality on 1st December 2008.

Fire Brigade Response

Weight of Response

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Per Pumping Units Appliance

A 2 5 B 2 4 C 1 4 D 1 4

Weight of response

The Sundays River Valley fire brigade service is not able to comply with the vehicle and staff levels as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to insufficient firefighting vehicles and insufficient fire brigade staff

Speed of Response

Risk Category Maximum call Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance receipt & turn – out Travel Time Attendance Time time (Minutes) (Minutes) (Minutes)

A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23

Speed of response

Whilst it may appear that the Kirkwood fire station may be able to meet the “Speed of Response” levels set out in the above table for the Kirkwood Central Business District and immediate surrounds, This is highly unlikely due to the delayed reporting and response times that can be expected from not having a 24 hour call taking and dispatching facility. (Control Centre).

It is therefore safe to say that the Sundays River Valley fire brigade service is not able to comply with the time frames as shown in the above table extracted from the

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Location of Fire Stations

Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories appliance km/h (Square Km).

A B C D

25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Fire station locations

Sundays River Valley is not in compliance with the response areas as shown in the above table extracted from the SANS Code of Practice 10090 due to not having sufficient fully equipped fire stations to cover the response area.

Vehicle and equipment maintenance.

Is there a formal vehicle replacement policy ? No Is the replacement policy complied with ? No Is there an adequate reserve fleet ? No

Type of vehicle / equipment Maximum number of years service

Pumping appliances 15 Aerial appliances 20 Off – road vehicles 10 Special appliances 20 Light vehicles 8

Replacement periods as quoted from SANS 10090

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Are vehicles subjected to a formal service and No testing programme ? Are fire tenders subjected to formal pump tests No ? Is equipment subjected to a formal standard No testing programme ? Are vehicle and equipment checks done at the No start of every shift ? Are the tests mentioned above documented ? No

Fire Prevention

The entire Sundays River Valley fire brigade fire prevention function is generally dealt with by the Cacadu District Chief Fire Officer.

Water Supplies

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10. CACADU DISTRICT MUNCIPALITY

The nine local municipalities within the Cacadu District area, and their key towns are:

• Baviaans (Steytlerville, Willowmore)

• Blue Crane Route (Cookhouse, Pearston, Somerset East)

• Camdeboo (Aberdeen, Graaff-Reinet, Nieu-Bethesda)

• Ikwezi (Jansenville, Klipplaat)

• Kouga (Hankey, Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, Oyster Bay, Patensie, St Francis Bay)

• Kou-Kamma (Joubertina, Kareedouw)

• Makana (Alicedale, Grahamstown, Riebeeck East)

• Ndlambe (Alexandria, Bathurst, Boknes, Bushmans River, Cannon Rocks, Kenton-on-Sea, Port Alfred)

• Sundays River Valley (Addo, Kirkwood, Paterson)

The district municipality area also includes the District Management Areas (DMS’s). The DMA areas include the settlements / villages;

Rietbron Wolwefontien Glenconnor Elandsriver Tsitsikamma

Nelson Mandela Bay municipality – a concentrated urbanisation and inter-city activity area comprising Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch – is excluded from Cacadu.

The seat of the Cacadu District Municipality is in Port Elizabeth.

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Map of the Cacadu District Municipality Area

Baviaans ECDMA10 Camdeboo Blue Crane Route

Makana

ECDMA 10

Ndlambe

Baviaans

Sundays River Valley

Kou-Kamma Kouga

Map of the Cacadu District Municipality Area showing the local municipalities and DMA’s.

Fire Brigade Vehicles

The District Municipality presently has two Land cruiser bush fire tenders parked at premises in Port Elizabeth.

The intention s that these units will be kept in reserve by the district for the purposes of providing support to the local municipality fire brigade services during crisis times.

Communications Facilities : Emergency Call – taking and Dispatching Centre

Cacadu District Municipality presently has a very limited 24 hour call taking and dispatching centre.

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The Cacadu District Municipality Call Centre

The Cacadu District call centre is presently housed in a small cubicle within an open plan office on the fifth floor at Cacadu Offices in Port Elizabeth .

The facility has very limited equipment and requires significant upgrade. It was noted at the time of visit that the “Occurrence Book” had not been updated for the last two days.

A view of the inside of the call taking facility

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It was noted with interest that in the call centre cubicle, several radio antenna cables were found hanging from the ceiling and were obstructing the cubicle doorway. These cables have apparently been in this state sine late 2007.

Within the local municipalities, a caller would be expected to make contact with the local municipality emergency service (Fire / Traffic) control centre.

As can be seen from the earlier parts of this report, not all local municipalities operate a 24 hour control centre.

A caller would therefore need to make contact with one of the other Provincial or State emergency services such as AMBULANCE or POLICE who would then relay call details to an appropriate municipal official who may be known to them, by Cellular telephone.

This process of first going through an alternate agency will without doubt result in delayed response and attendance times by the fire brigade service, possibly with disasterous results.

It is considered vital therefore, that the District call taking and dispatching centre be enhanced to a much high level than where it is at present. This would include;

 Larger Premises,

 Additional equipment and facilities and

 Additional staff & training.

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The equipment that has been identified as essential in a communications centre includes;

 Telephone switchboard and extensions – this is a stand alone system that operates independent of the District Municipality administration telephone system. This gives the community direct access to the emergency services and disaster management. The independent telephone system will also be able to continue functioning even if the main District Municipality system is down.

 Telephone management system – the call centre telephone system is linked to an independent telephone management system.

 Facsimile machine – This facility allows two way fax communication in and out of the call centre.

 Two – way radios – the call centre must be provided with a two – way radio dedicated to communications with each of the radio communication cells within the district. (This includes all fire brigade vehicles, municipal disaster management vehicles and local municipal offices).

 Standby power to radios – the radios must be powered from a substantial standby battery.

 Radio mast system – in order to ensure good radio communication into and out of the communications centre, a substantial antenna mast must be installed.

 Voice logging of all telephone and radio conversations – This unit automatically records all incoming and outgoing telephone calls and all radio messages. The unit also automatically date and time stamps every recorded conversation.

 Computer hardware and software – The computers are used for the storages of vital information such as the Disaster Management plan and databases.

 Limited un - interrupted power supply (UPS) – this is intended to keep the computers running until the main standby generator in the complex starts up.

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INTER – SERVICE COMMUNICATION

With the establishment of the a District Municipality Disaster Management communication centre, the community will, whilst perhaps still having access to the police and health services call centres, have access to all services through one number through contact the Cacadu District Municipality municipal call centre, as indicated in the sketch below;

Emergency Fire Brigade

Caller reports Ambulance emergency

SAPS

District Disaster Municipality Management Call Centre

Electricity

Health Other Municipality Water

The District Municipality Call Centre should have quick and reliable communication with other emergency and essential service providers

Radio Communication

External service providers have been consulted in respect of two – way radio communication infrastructure (High sites and repeaters), and the head of the SAPS Eastern Cape radio division regarding possible access to the new police radio system (TETRA).

It was confirmed that the District communications centre mentioned above has no functioning two way radio equipment.

Whilst the larger town fire brigade services do have adequate two way radio communication infrastructure and equipment, the smaller towns have little or no two way radio communication facilities or equipment and must therefore rely on cell phones for all communication

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11. NON – MUNICIPAL FIRE FIGHTING SERVICES

During the audit, it was learnt that in some instances, a certain amount of dependence is placed on “Non – municipal” / private firefighting services to assist at serious incidents of fire.

These services may include;

 Industrial fire brigade services,

 Forsetry firefighting services,

 Agriculture, (Bakkies and tractor water carts).

Whilst the presence and capability of the existing non – local authority fire fighting facilities should be taken note of and certainly do assist in emergency situations, there institutions should not be considered as a permanent or reliable part of the municipal fire brigade services.

This is generally in view of the fact that these other services have been established with the sole purpose of attending to fires and emergencies within their own fixed environments and may be unwilling or unable to assist or supplement the municipal fire brigade services during emergencies due to being committed to their own emergency incidents during crisis times.

Municipalities are therefore compelled to provide their own adequate fire brigade service infrastructure.

12. NATIONAL VELD & FOREST FIRE ACT, (ACT 101 of 1998)

The purpose of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act, is to prevent and combat veld, forest and mountain fires throughout the Republic and the act provides for a variety of institutions, methods and practices for achieving this purpose.

Even if a Fire Protection Association is not formed, land owners are still compelled under the Act to comply specifically with -

Chapter 4 : Veldfire Prevention Through Firebreaks

This chapter places a duty on owners to prepare and maintain firebreaks. The procedure in this regard and the role of adjoining owners and the Fire Protection Association are dealt with. Provision is also made for the making of firebreaks on the international boundary of the Republic.

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The appropriate Minister is given power to exempt any owner from making a fire break for good reason.

- Duty to prepare and maintain firebreaks - Requirements for firebreaks - Firebreaks on borders of Republic - Exemption from duty to prepare and maintain firebreaks - Exemption on prohibitions on damaging plants

Chapter 5 : Fire Fighting

This Chapter places a duty on all owners to acquire equipment and have available personnel to fight fires. Certain persons and officials are given the power to enter land and fight fires in an emergency. It provides for agreements to be entered into between the Minister and Fire Protection Associations, or between such associations, to assist each other in the case of a fire.

- Readiness for fire fighting - Actions to fight fires - Agreements for mutual assistance

What is important to note is that even if a " Fire Protection Association ", is not formed as described in the Act, Chapters 4 & 5 must still be complied with by land owners, and land owners includes the municipality.

(Refer to Government Gazette No. 20258, Notice number 78 of 1999 : Commencement date of Section 12 and 13 of the said Act take effect as from 2 July 1999).

As a “land owner", the District and Local Municipalities are where applicable, compelled to be a member of the Fire Protection Association established in the area in terms of the Act.

It is understood that within the Cacadu District, Fire Protection Associations have been registered for the areas of;

 Makana, Glenconnor and Elandsriver

Whilst the founding meetings for the formation of Fire Protection Associations have been held in the areas of;

 Aberdeen, Bathurst and Tsitsikamma.

The Cacadu District Chief Fire Officer is actively participating in the above process.

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PART D

FIRE BRIGADE SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRMENTS

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REQUIRED FIRE BRIGADE INFRASTRUCTURE

Further to the structures and shortcomings discussed above, various infrastructure developments will be required to render at least a “first response” level of fire brigade service to the communities of the Cacadu District and it’s Local Municipalities.

The required proposed services would require;

 Highly Experienced Management,

 Communications,

 Fire Station Accomodation,

 Emergency Vehicles,

 Emergency Equipment,

 Qualified Staff,

 Uniform & Protective Clothing,

 24 Hour Service (Not on standby to respond from home).

As discussed above, the fire brigade service infrastructure and required upgrade thereof is for the purposes of this report generally measured against the South African Bureau of Stands Code of Practice – “SANS 10090 : Community Protection Against Fire”.

It must also be mentioned that this code deals mainly with matters relating directly to Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting. It does not fully consider other traditional fire brigade functions (Provided for in the Fire Brigade Services Act), such as;

 Rescue : Motor Vehicle / Water / Industrial etc.

 Hazardous material (Hazmat) Incidents,

 Medical emergency response.

It will be noted in the following section that these matters are given consideration as a matter of routine.

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Premises

Communications Fire Engine Equipment

Safety Equipment Staff

Fire Equipment Uniform

Rescue Equipment

The general diagramatic structure of the infrastructure of a single fire station

The existing fire brigade services within the Cacadu District have been assessed and the details of the assessments have been summarised earlier in this report.

The required fire brigade service infrastructure upgrades required in order to facilitate an effective and efficient service more in accordance with the SABS Code of Practice are detailed below;

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1. BAVIAANS LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Baviaans Local Municipality was determined to have the following Risk Categories;

TOWN Category A Category B Category C Category D (Central Business (Small Central (Conventional (Rural Buildings) District) Business District) Residential) Steytlerville - - Yes Yes Willowmore - Yes Yes Yes

Risk categories for Baviaans

Weight and speed of response

Risk Category Minimum Number of Minimum Manning Level Minimum Pumping Pumping Units Per Appliance Capacity of Each Unit A 2 5 3 850 L/Min B 2 4 3 850 L/Min C 1 4 2 250 L/Min D 1 4 2 250 L/Min E As determined by individual risk assessment Note : Arrangements for vehicle fires, grass/bush fires and special services and the need for specialist vehicles such as aerial appliances and water carriers will be determined by local conditions

Number of responding units and crew levels

Risk Category Maximum call receipt & Maximum Appliance Maximum Appliance turn – out time (Minutes) Travel Time (Minutes) Attendance Time (Minutes) A 3 5 8 B 3 7 10 C 3 10 13 D 3 20 23 E Within Requirement of appropriate risk category

Response and attendance times

In terms of the above tables, the minimum attendance time is 8 minutes for category A, 10 minutes for ‘B’ Fire Risk category and 13 minutes for Category C fires.

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Estimated speed of Example of possible turn – out area for various risk categories (Square Km). appliance km/h A B C D 25 8 15 30 120 30 10 20 40 180 35 15 30 60 240 40 20 40 80 320 45 25 50 100 400 50 30 60 120 480

Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Maximum response areas

I Willowmore Steytlerville

An indication of the estimated proposed Baviaans fire station response areas.

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The South African Bureau of Standards Code of Practice – “SANS 10090 : 2003 – Community Protection Against Fire” requires that fire brigade response distances meet the approximate limits as shown below;

 Category B : 60 square km. Giving about 04 km response travel range  Category C : 120 square km. Giving about 06 km response travel range  Category D : 480 square km. Giving about 11 km response travel range

In the above map the model used, is not within the above requirements of the SANS code but would provide what could be considered an adequate level of fire protection within the municipal area of jurisdiction. (Note that the distances allowed in the model shown are basically double the allowed distances).

Establishing and operating two fire stations is without doubt a very expensive exercise and places a huge financial burden on the Local Municipality.

Full compliance with the requirements of the SABS Code is well beyond the financial capacity of many municipalities.

In the above diagram, the response areas of the required new fire stations are shown in terms of the maximum range of protection (square kilometers and travel distance) at an average fire brigade vehicle travel speed of 50 km/hour. (As per the SANS Code).

 Category B : 60 square km. 08 km travel radius (Blue circle)  Category C : 120 square km. 12 km travel radius (Green circle)  Category D : 480 square km. 22 km travel radius (Brown circle)

Ideally, two fire stations would be required. The exact location would however be subject to the availability of a suitable serviced site for development as a fire station.

The required fire stations and minimum number of (first response) pumping units (Fire Engines) required is;

Fire Stations Stations Fire Engines Pump Capacity (L/min) Crew Level Steytlerville 1 4 x 4 Fire Tender 3850 4 Willowmore 1 4 x 4 Fire Tender (2) 3850 4 x 2 = 8

12 (per shift)

Required number of fire stations, fire engines and crew

Note the above figures are for “First Response” to an incident only.

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A reserve fleet, Back – up vehicles and firefighters are not indicated. The off – duty staff are also not shown.

It should also be noted that for each on – duty crew / shift, there would be three off – duty shifts.

Personnel & Training

All staff must be trained to the minimum levels discussed elsewhere in this report.

Training must include;

 Fire Operations

 Rescue

 Hazmat

 Safety

The Baviaans municipality presently has no full – time fire brigade staff.

It is a requirement that two fire stations be established and staffed as indicated below;

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Chief Fire Officer

Admin Assistant Assistant Chief

Divisional Officer

Willowmore Steytlerville Fire Safety Station Officer Station Officer Station Officer

Leading Firefighters Leading Firefighters 8 4

Despatcher Firefighter 4 12

Firefighter 24

Required Staff Structure for two fire stations

Operational Shift Operational Shift B A ON - DUTY Off - Duty (4 Firefighters) (4 Firefighters)

Operational Shift Operational Shift C D Off - Duty Off - Duty (4 Firefighters) (4 Firefighters)

This chart attempts to show that for every one unit of protection shift on – duty ( Four firefighters), there would be three shifts off – duty. i.e. in order to have the fire station manned by four firefighters, a municipality would in fact need to employ twelve firefighters.

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Call Receipt and Processing Requirements (Control Centre)

Baviaans has no 24 hour call centre and no fire brigade two – way radio network. It is therefore required that a suitable 24 control centre be set up, equipped and staffed.

The number of incoming emergency telephone lines is indicated in the table below;

Population served Number of dedicated emergency lines Up to 40 000 1 40 001 – 125 000 2 125 001 – 300 000 3 Over 300 000 4

Required number of telephone lines

The communications centre is a vital and essential facility, serving not only the fire brigade service, but also the entire municipal organization.

It appears that there is very little or no two – way radio infrastructure within the area. The infrastructure concerning control and communications will need to be developed and should include a single central fire brigade service communication center / municipal call center, in a suitable central location.

A fire brigade service two way radio communication system covering the entire municipal area should be commissioned, and all emergency call taking and dispatching to fire service incidents and monitoring of vehicle movements will be done by the central control center. The center will also serve as the 24 hour municipal services call center.

Communications Personnel

It is anticipated that four control center operators would be appointed and would be allocated to a shift system as follows ;

 4 Controllers working 1 per shift on 24 hour shift system

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Communications Centre Equipment

The control center equipment is briefly summarised below ;

Description Remarks

Premises In consultation with all role players, suitable office accomodation for the control center should be facilitated by the municipality. In view of the 24 hour operation of the control center, provision would be required for access to suitable ablution facilities within close proximity to the control center. Consideration should also be give to employment of disabled persons and the required facilities.

Furniture Appropriate furniture would be required to accommodate 2 controller positions. Furniture must be durable and ergonomically suitable for use in the 24 hour continuous system.

Telephone System It is anticipated that two controller work stations would be installed. It follows therefore that each work station must be equipped with a telephone. A complete telephone system, independent of any other Municipality systems should be installed with at least one incomming line and one outgoing line. One dedicated facsimile line should also be installed. The entire telephone system should include a telephone management system.

Two – Way Radios At this stage, it is difficult to predict the specifics of the two way radio network. In order to achieve some level of costing however, it will be assumed that all of the fire stations and fire brigade vehicles would be equipped with a two – way radio, and it is assumed that at least one high site radio repeater would be installed in the area.

Radio Channels The fire brigade service and disaster management should have access to their own channel independent of other municipal services.

Fire Brigade Vehicles Fire brigade vehicles must be equipped with two – way radios.

Hand Held Radios Hand held two – way radios should be purchased and made available to the fire crew and management staff.

High Site Repeater The municipality must establish it’s own two – way radio infrastructure.

Computers The Control Centre should be equipped with a computer work station at each operator console (2).

Voice Logger All telephone lines and radio channels should be monitored and recorded on a computerised voice logger.

Uninterrupted Power All computers and radios should be fitted with UPS and standby power as appropriate. Supply

Facsimile Machine This is a basic requirement.

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Fire Prevention

I view of the fact that there is no established full – time fire brigade service within the Baviaans municipality, there is also no Fire Prevention section. Fire prevention services within the fire brigade service are essential and must be provided for.

TABLE SUMMARY OF FIRE BRIGADE INFRASTRUCTURE

Summary : Fire Station Infrastructure

Required Standard Existing in Baviaans Required Upgrade

 Fire Station Willowmore  No Fire Stations  New Fire station  Fire Station Steytlerville  No Call Centre Willowmore  24 Hour Call Centre  New Fire Station Steytlerville  New 24 hour Call Centre

Summary : Vehicle Infrastructure

Required Standard Existing in Baviaans Required Upgrade

 2 Pumpers Willowmore  1 LDV with skid unit  2 Pumpers Willowmore  1 Pumper Steytlerville  1 water trailer  1 Pumper Steytlerville  1 Tanker  1 Tanker  1 Hazmat Vehicle  1 Hazmat Vehicle  1 Rescue Vehicle  1 Rescue Vehicle  3 Service Vehicles (LDV)  3 Service Vehicles

Note that all fire brigade vehicles must be purchased / fitted with the appropriate standard basic equipment as applicable to the application of each vehicle.

Where possible, all vehicles and equipment must be standard / compatible across the district.

Standard basic equipment would include;

Fire Hose & Nozzles Ladders Foam Equipment

Forced entry tools Breathing App. Small gear

Jaws of Life Ropes First Aid Equip.

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Summary : Staff Infrastructure

Required Standard Existing in Baviaans Required Upgrade

 Chief Fire Officer  Part time staff  Chief Fire Officer  Assistant Chief Fire Officer  Assistant Chief Fire  Divisional Officer Officer  Station Officer Fire Safety  Divisional Officer  Station Officer Willowmore  1 Station Officer Fire  Station Officer Steytlerville Safety  8 Leading Firefighters  1 Station Officer Willowmore Willowmore  4 Leading Firefighters  1 Station Officer Steytlerville Steytlerville  24 Firefighters Willowmore  8 Leading Firefighters  12 Firefighters Steytlerville Willowmore  4 Dispatchers  4 Leading Firefighters Steytlerville  24 Firefighters Willowmore  12 Fire fighters Steytlerville  4 Dispatchers

Note that all fire brigade personnel are issued with uniforms and protective equipment.

The protective equipment would be permanently issued to each individual operational firefighter and operational officer. This would include;

Fire Helmet Flash Hood Bunker Jacket

Bunker Trousers Fire Boots Fire Gloves

Rescue Gloves

Summary : Control Centre

Required Standard Existing in Baviaans Required Upgrade

 Central 24 hours call taking  Nil  Set up a fully equipped and dispatch for Emergency Central 24 hours call Services (and all other taking and dispatch municipal departments after center hours)  Appoint at least 1  Premises Controller per shift  Telephone lines  Establish Two –w ay  Radios radio network  Voice Logger  Incident recording and logging  Security  Ablutions  Basic Kitchen Equip  Administration

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Summary : Fire Prevention

Required Standard Existing in Baviaans Required Upgrade

 Station Officer  Nil  Appointment of Station Officer  Administration & Record Keeping  Set up Fire Safety Division and  Annual Inspection of all administration buildings

 Scrutiny of Building Plans and issue of occupation approvals

 Regulation of hazardous substances & law enforcement

 Public Safety Education

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2. BLUE CRANE ROUTE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

The Blue Crane Route Local Municipality was determined to have the following Risk Categories;

TOWN Category A Category B Category C Category D (Central Business (Small Central (Conventional (Rural Buildings) District) Business District) Residential) Cookhouse - - Yes Yes Pearston - - Yes Yes Somerset - East - Yes Yes Yes

Risk categories for Blue Crane Route

Weight and speed of response

Number of responding units and crew levels

Response and attendance times

In terms of the above tables, the minimum attendance time is 8 minutes for category A, 10 minutes for ‘B’ Fire Risk category and 13 minutes for Category C fires.

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Note 1. Estimated speed of appliance is the likely average speed between two points in a risk area including stops, starts, traffic congestion and terrain.

Note 2. Station turn – out area is the area that can be covered taking weight and speed of response requirements into consideration.

Note 3. Turn – out areas are based on the straight line distance that can be covered in the appropriate appliance travel time, less 25% to compensate for street grid networks.

Maximum response areas

Pearston Somerset - East Cookhouse

An indication of the estimated proposed Blue Crane Route fire station response areas.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Establishing and operating three fire stations is without doubt a very expensive exercise and places a huge financial burden on the Local Municipality.

Full compliance with the requirements of the SABS Code is well beyond the financial capacity of many municipalities.

 Category B : 60 square km. 08 km travel radius (Blue circle)  Category C : 120 square km. 12 km travel radius (Green circle)  Category D : 480 square km. 22 km travel radius (Brown circle)

Ideally, three fire stations would be required. The exact location would however be subject to the availability of a suitable serviced site for development as a fire station.

The required fire stations and minimum number of (first response) pumping units (Fire Engines) required is;

Fire Stations Stations Description Pump Capacity (L/min) Crew Level Pearston 1 4 x 4 Fire Tender 2250 4 Cookhouse 1 4 x 4 Fire Tender 2250 4 Somerset – East 1 4 x 4 Fire Tender (2) 3850 4 x 2 = 12

16 (per shift)

Required number of fire stations, fire engines and crew

Note the above figures are for “First Response” to an incident only.

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Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

A reserve fleet, Back – up vehicles and firefighters are not indicated. The off – duty staff are also not shown.

It should also be noted that for each on – duty crew / shift, there would be three off – duty shifts.

Personnel & Training

All staff must be trained to the minimum levels discussed elsewhere in this report.

Training must include;

 Fire Operations

 Rescue

 Hazmat

 Safety

The Blue Crane municipality presently has no full – time fire brigade staff. It is a requirement that three fire stations be established and staffed as indicated below;

Chief Fire Officer

Admin Assistant Assistant Chief

Divisional Officer

Somerset East Pearston Cookhouse Fire Safety Station Officer Station Officer Station Officer Station Officer

Leading Firefighters Leading Firefighters Leading Firefighters 8 4 4

Despatcher Firefighter Firefighters 4 12 12

Firefighter 24

Required Staff Structure for three fire stations

______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 178 (Pty) Ltd 2009

Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

Operational Shift Operational Shift B A ON - DUTY Off - Duty (4 Firefighters) (4 Firefighters)

Operational Shift Operational Shift C D Off - Duty Off - Duty (4 Firefighters) (4 Firefighters)

Call Receipt and Processing Requirements (Control Centre)

The Blue Crane Route Municipality has no 24 hour call centre and no fire brigade two – way radio network. It is therefore required that a suitable 24 control centre be set up, equipped and staffed.

The number of incoming emergency telephone lines is indicated in the table below;

Population served Number of dedicated emergency lines Up to 40 000 1 40 001 – 125 000 2 125 001 – 300 000 3 Over 300 000 4

Required number of telephone lines

______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 179 (Pty) Ltd 2009

Fire Brigade Services Assessment in the Cacadu District Municipality Area January 2009 ______

The communications centre is a vital and essential facility, serving not only the fire brigade service, but also the entire municipal organisation.

Communications Personnel

It is anticipated that four control center operators would be appointed and would be allocated to a shift system as follows ;

 4 Controllers working 1 per shift on 24 hour shift system

______© Copyright Rural Metro Emergency Management Services 180 (Pty) Ltd 2009