Emergency Management Services Public
Education and Training section, Johannesburg,
and Durban Fire Brigade, in
co-operation with Children of Fire
The extent of the fire problem in squatter camps
A FIRE SAFETY PLAN
FOR SQUATTER CAMPS
The Chain of survival
mobilise the Emergency Services.
The basic principles of moving people safely, in a smoke-filled
FIRE BREAKS IN SQUATTER CAMPS
How fire leaps from one structure to another;
the level of safety
achieved by a 3 metre gap between shacks;
the problem of combustible
material left on shack roofs and between shacks.
FIRE DRILL IN SQUATTER CAMPS
Fire drill in a squatter camp?
Safe meeting points and penalties
Identifying the weakest members of the community (old and
frail; disabled; infants; other children.)
CHEMISTRY AND COMBUSTION
The concept of fire and the definition of combustion.
extinguish fire and how fire spreads.
The collapse of the triangle of
combustion by applying extinguishing principles.
CLASSIFICATION OF FIRES
The South African Bureau of Standards' classification of fires.
various combustible substances found under each category.
employed in extinguishing each class of fire.
Fire extinguisher suitability and fire classification.
How a fire
extinguisher is made and used.
Explanation of each type of fire
Servicing of fire extinguisher by agent.
The concepts of fire prevention methods.
The principles of routine
The formation of fire teams and their responsibilities.
SPECIAL TYPES OF FIRE RISKS
(Where and how are large quantities of paraffin stored in the squatter
camp? What is the legal situation regarding the storage and sale of paraffin?)
Fires in closed containers.
Flammable liquid fires.
petroleum gas fires.
ACTS OF VIOLENCE
(One third of all burn injuries in South Africa are caused intentionally
by one human to another or to themselves - what solutions are there to this
How to deal with bomb threats by telephone.
and finding of a suspicious article.
Dealing with explosions.
Moving through a smoke-filled building.
The use of water type and
dry chemical powder extinguishers on a fire.
Extinguishing a liquid
petroleum gas cylinder on fire without the use of an extinguisher.
TEACHING FIRE SAFETY FUNDAMENTALS TO THE COMMUNITY
Educating other members of the community in fire safety behaviour and
early action in an emergency.
Maintaining fire safety awareness within the
Selected video material will be shown to students to improve their
knowledge and skills.
Certificates will only be issued to students who have successfully
completed the three day course, practical and theoretical. Certificates will
not be issued on the course days but will be forwarded to the students at a
later stage through the charity Children of Fire.
All registration forms must normally be faxed to the Emergency Services
before the course.
For more details contact Bronwen Jones or Nancy Kluth, Children of Fire, Tel 011 726 6529 or Tel/ Fax 011 482 4258 or Thomas Ranamane, National Head of the UMashesha volunteers 082 692 2590.
The first course was held in April 2000. It has been run many times
since then with residents of the Joe Slovo squatter camp, Coronationville; the
community at Diepsloot; and residents of several different Alexandra township
squatter camps. Trainees should have a minimum of Grade 7 education, be
competent in reading, writing and understanding English, and be committed to