Fire and safety practitioners meet to discuss ways of building resilient communities
Fire and safety practitioners from municipalities across the country have convened at JB Marks local municipality in Bokone Bophirima to discuss and share good practices on fire safety and prevention.
The 5th annual national fire safety annual fire safety and prevention seminar whose theme is “the strategic role of fire services in building community resilience to hazards in a changing climate”, is intended to provide fire safety practitioners, a platform for interactive dialogue in order to contribute to the national fire risk reduction agenda and create a platform for fire services role players including the private sector and civil society to reflect on the technological developments and their impact on fire safety and prevention.
Topics that will be discussed at the seminar which is also attended by academics, representatives from sector departments and energy utility, Eskom, will include amongst others, threats posed by mine waste water to communities and the environment, veldfire management through sector mapping and fire safety risks associated with a changing climate.
According to Lloyd Phetlhu from the National Disaster Management Centre, fire services play a critical role in protecting strategic & productive assets that sustain the economy of our country.
“The desired economic growth targets espoused in the National Development Plan(NDP) necessitates sustainable creation of capacity to protect strategic economic assets & infrastructure from risks posed by fires & other related environmental & industrial hazards. Fire services play a pivotal role in building the resilience of the economy. A well functioning and sustainable fire service is thus critical to attract domestic and foreign investments’’, he said.
The seminar started on Wednesday and will today, Friday.
Enquiries:
Ben Bole (Departmental Spokesperson)
Cell: 082 386 9508
E-mail: msbole@nwpg.gov.za
