Rand West Emergency Services Fire Chief Benny Mohlabeng is appealing to residents and businesses to stop tampering with and stealing municipal property on the roads that the fire department need to extinguish fires.

This comes after the Fire Chief noticed that people were stealing municipal property inside fire hydrants, and that businesses are using fire hoses for other purposes.

Also read: Yes, you will be arrested for starting a veld fire

Speaking to the Herald Mohlabeng said these challenges hamper their operations.

“We are facing fire hydrant and hose reel theft throughout the Rand West City and that renders our jobs difficult at times. A hydrant is a very important piece of equipment as it provides us with an unlimited water supply and keeps it circulating while we are extinguishing a fire.

“People are now stealing the seals inside the hydrants and this is a massive problem for us.

We are left with a situation where we do not have a secure connection to the hydrant and as a result, water starts spilling out and this in turn affects the water pressure,” said Mohlabeng.

He added that some businesses, especially car washes use the hose reels placed in different locations around Rand West City as their source of water supply.

Another challenge they face is that of receiving incorrect information when called to assist.

“We plead with people not to give us the wrong information intentionally and allege that there’s a house burning down, when it’s actually a veld fire, with hopes that we will respond quicker to the scene.

We end up sending out a fire truck to a veld fire instead of a vehicle that is suitable for the environment and can access the terrain.

“Another problem we are facing is that people often try to put out the blaze themselves, and will only contact the department when it starts spreading uncontrollably. We should be contacted immediately when a fire breaks out and not as a last resort after all other attempts have failed,” said Mohlabeng.

In cases of a fire emergency, residents are urged to the following numbers:

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