CI TY SAF E T Y
Capacitating emergency and enforcement services Making a city safer is strongly dependent on ensuring that the appropriate vehicles, facilities and manpower are in place to protect and save lives. In recent years, the City of Tshwane has made real progress in this regard.
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he creation of a safe and caring city is critical for municipalities wanting to attract investment and businesses. This requires equipping the relevant departments adequately so that they can enforce city by-laws and respond appropriately when tragedy strikes. Over the last five years, the City of Tshwane has made significant investments into capacitating its Emergency Services Department. The department has procured 94 vehicles through the vehicle replacement programme.
Specialised emergency vehicles This includes a number of highly specialised vehicles, with some being
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REIGNITING EXCELLENCE IN TSHWANE 2 0 2 1
among the first of their kind in the country. These include the following: • two specialised hazardous material and incident command vehicles • two specialised ambulances, including a special infectious diseases unit and an intensivecare unit • an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle for Wonderboom National Airport • two armoured vehicles, including a fire engine and an ambulance • 34 ambulances • a multi-patient transporter • 14 fire engines • 16 rapid intervention vehicles with the capacity to perform rescues, and attend to vehicle and smaller fires • a rope rescue vehicle • a swift water rescue vehicle
• four double-cab bushfire vehicles • nine response vehicles • six utility vehicles. The City’s Emergency Services Department is at the forefront of responding to disasters and tragedies in the city. Whether they arise from flooding, fires, adverse weather conditions or car accidents, the emergency teams respond rapidly to ensure that Tshwane residents receive the support they need. Beyond these significant vehicle acquisitions, the City has also made great progress towards the completion of the Mamelodi Fire Station. Unfortunately, vandalism that took place during June this year has delayed the official opening of the facility. However, the building is essentially complete and will
