Veld fires pose great challenges for environmental management and sustainability for both rural and urban communities in the City of Ekurhuleni during cold winter seasons.
Left unattended, these fires can cause widespread destruction to properties and human lives can be lost. Veld fires also pose a high risk to road safety with motorists experiencing poor road visibility caused by heavy smoke. At times motorists with underlying chronic medical conditions can react negatively to smoke inhalation.
Veld fires are categorised as natural fires and unnatural fires. Smaller percentages of these fires are naturally caused by lightning while the bigger portion is unnatural. Unnatural fires result from human involvement either accidental or deliberate.
The most lethal fires are those next to major routes such as freeways where maximum speed limit is 120km/h.
In the past, the City`s Disaster and Emergency Management Services had to attend to vehicle pile-ups involving different categories of vehicles. Some vehicles “trucks”, were loaded with hazardous chemicals of high volatility subjecting everyone involved to danger of losing their lives.
Together we can mute these easy preventative losses of lives and properties.
Safe driving recommendations:
• if there is veld fire and the wind blows the smoke across the road/freeway, there will be limited visibility and resulting in slow moving traffic- in such an instance, a driver should drastically reduce speed, drive carefully and be on full alert.
• never ignore the fire, even if it seems very far away, it can quickly become large and engulf you. The most dangerous situation to be in is Subscribe to Ekurhuleni Press Release RSS feeds to get the latest news onhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/emm/pressReleasewhen a veld fire is on a hill and you are above it with bush and grass between you and the fire.
• Switch on headlights and hazards on so as you are visible as possible to other road users.
• If visibility becomes very poor, don’t attempt to drive through the thick smoke or flames. Many accidents occur when drivers attempt this, only to find that they veer off the road, collide with stationary obstacles such as other vehicles or involved in head on collusions with other vehicles attempting to drive through from the opposite direction.
• If you are caught in a veld fire, try as much as possible to find a clear and safer zone, preferably off road where the fire might not reach -avoid a grassy or bushy as these cannot sustain fires of high intensity.
• A safe zone is an area that has already burnt and cooled off, is a preferred area to park your vehicle in because there is no more fuel to burn.
• if parked, switch the engine off, close down the windows and shut down all the vents in prevention of smoke filling the vehicle compartment.
• do not leave the vehicle- people have lost their lives by exiting the vehicle, only to be trapped on foot in the open. Your vehicle will help to protect you from radiant heat and smoke inhalation which are the main hazards.
• Keep road maps in the vehicle for in-case the primary road is closed, you can use alternative to your destination. Remember that what will hurt you is the heat that the fire produces, and which can also reduce the level of oxygen making it difficult to breath.
Do not panic, take a decisive action, and call Emergency Life Threatening Call Centre within the City of Ekurhuleni for firefighting teams to come to your rescue and to mute the ravaging fire.
In case of Life-Threatening Emergencies, the public around the City should phone the following numbers for the attention of emergency services and disaster management.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
(011) 458- 0911 : Life Threatening Ekurhuleni Emergency Line
10177 : National Toll-Free Number
112: Cell Phone
