Johannesburg Launches Annual Winter Safety Awareness Campaign to Combat Shack Fires

…By Roland Peterson for TDPel Media. With the Winter season being prone to shack fires, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety in the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Mgcini Tshwaku, launched the annual Winter Safety Awareness campaign at George Goch Hostel in Region F on 25 May 2023.

The campaign aims to raise awareness and communicate preventative measures to the identified fire risk-prone areas, focusing on reducing risk exposure, teaching community members how to respond to fire incidents, and emphasizing the importance of having a residential fire escape strategy.

Shack Dwellers Targeted by the Campaign

MMC Tshwaku highlights that the City of Johannesburg will target residents of both formal and informal dwellings between May and September 2023.

The decision comes as the Disaster Management Centre in Joburg has observed a rising number of house fires, with contributing factors including incorrect use or installation of alternative power sources, negligence, illegal connections, and faulty appliances.

Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable due to overturned candles, braziers, paraffin stoves, children’s interaction with flammable substances, and incomplete extinguishing of braai fires.

The combustible building materials and close proximity of shacks in informal settlements make them highly susceptible to rapid and extensive fires.

The Importance of the Campaign and Tragic Statistics

The primary objective of the Winter Safety Awareness campaign is to make residents aware of the disastrous risks associated with the winter season and educate them about potential threats.

MMC Tshwaku emphasizes the devastating impact of fires, leaving people with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

In the past two years, during the 2021 winter campaign season, the Disaster Management Centre responded to a total of 281 fire incidents, with 161 occurring between June and August.

These incidents resulted in 40 injuries and 34 fatalities.

The statistics indicate that the impact of fires is spread across all seven regions, with Region F being particularly affected, followed by Region G. In 2022, there were 238 fire incidents, with the peak season between June and August accounting for 166 of them.

Efforts and Relief Measures

MMC Tshwaku expresses the intention to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns, although it presents challenges as most people are at home during weekends.

The Disaster Management Centre also provided humanitarian relief to 2793 households between April and September 2021.

Despite a slight reduction in fire incidents in 2022 compared to the previous year, the peak season remained problematic, resulting in 166 incidents during June to August.

In conclusion, the Winter Safety Awareness campaign in Johannesburg aims to address the risks associated with winter fires, particularly in informal settlements.

By raising awareness, promoting preventative measures, and educating residents, the campaign seeks to minimize fire incidents, injuries, and fatalities during the winter season.

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