NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS - On Tuesday, 25 September, a fire broke out around mid-day at a 5-year-old home situated behind the police barracks in Nieu-Bethesda.
A number of people in the community rushed to the scene of the disaster to attempt to douse the flames as the owners were out of town. According to the towns' residents, calls to emergency numbers proved fruitless, and by the time the fire engine arrived from Graaff-Reinet, despite strenuous effort from the locals, severe damage had been done to the property.
Half the home was affected by the fire, ceilings gutted, their Land Rover burned out and two quad bikes severely damaged.
DA leader, Coenraad Swart reported to Ward 2's councillor Linda Botha that allegedly neither the fire engine nor the mobile water unit in the village was in working order on the day of the fire.
Emergency numbers were not responded to, resulting in severe damage to property. Councillor Botha requested a report of service and maintenance records with nothing forthcoming to date.
Bethesda is situated in an isolated area and is extremely dry, more so especially after current drought conditions. According to an official in the Provincial Protection Services Department, mobile units need to be maintained and regularly serviced according to specific unit specifications. The unit should have a log book in which the service intervals are stated, who serviced it, when and what the fault was.
The units should also be checked weekly and both the vehicle engine and the compressor engine must be started and run for at least 5 minutes to ensure its working condition. All these tests and checks should be recorded in the logbook.
On the positive front, however, a new mobile water unit was dispatched to the village on 28 September.
According to councillor Linda Botha, the DA feels that this is an opportunity to establish a community “Emergency Response Team” and have community members trained in first aid, basic firefighting skills etc.
This team could then act as the first line of assistance in an emergency and man the mobile unit until the professionals arrive.
Municipality responds
In response to queries in this regard by the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser, the municipality responded that, as per the report of the fire department, the fire department responded immediately after receiving the call reporting the incident by sending the firefighting trucks to Nieu-Bethesda.
Half the home was affected by the fire, ceilings gutted, a Land Rover burned out and two quad bikes severely damaged.
According to Chris Rhoode, Manager: Protection Services, the firefighting fleet and equipment are serviced, checked and maintained as per the SANS 10090 Code - Community Protection Against Fire.
"Also, take note that our fire engines are not used on a daily basis and only dispatched during fire incidents. If not used, we have a weekly standing operating procedure to start, drive it around and let the fire pump run," said Rhoode.
Rhoode also stated that since the purchase date, October 1983, it has done only 8229 miles and that a detailed service report will be provided to councillor Botha.
In respect of the fire equipment, Rhoode stated that the Ford F350 medium pumper was relocated to Nieu-Bethesda some few years ago because the fire trailer was out of commission.
"Unfortunately, during June 2018, when checking the fire engine, our firefighter discovered that the engine oil has a water mixture which indicated that the engine has blown a top gasket. As the fire engine was not manufactured in South Africa, parts are not easily available to quickly fix the engine."
According to Rhoode, a point to take note of is that according to their records, they purchased new batteries in May 2017 and in December 2017. It was reported that the battery had been stolen and petrol are reportedly missing, although, on a monthly basis, they requisition petrol for the fire engine.
In conclusion, Rhoode stated that the training of volunteers on Elementary Firefighting, Radio Communication and First Aid Level 3 within their jurisdiction is performed by the Sarah Baartman District Municipality and about ten (10) people in Nieu-Bethesda were trained earlier this year according to their records.
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