1. State of Fire Brigade Services in the Western Cape Report to Premier’s Co-ordinating Forum 18-19 November 2009

2. Purpose To present the findings and recommendations of an investigation into Fire Services in the Western Cape

3. CAPS Fire Investigation The Minister of Local Government in the Province has an Advisory Committee of Fire Services Experts called “CAPS” (Category of Authorised Persons) –The CAPS Advisory Committee advises the Minister and oversees fire services investigations –Investigation of Fire Services in the Province commissioned in 2008 and completed in May 2009 Investigation into 5 Districts (City not included) Presented to Minister Bredell in October 2009

4. General Findings Fire brigade services in the Province generally in a poor state (with some exceptions) –Unqualified firefighters / fire officers being appointed –Municipalities not prioritising fire brigade services in their budgets or IDPs Very few municipalities have Master Fire Plans –Public fire safety not receiving attention –Confusion as to roles: district (veld) and local (structural)

5. Audit Findings Cape Winelands: –Weight and speed of response does not meet requirements SANS 10090 standards –Call receipt and processing adequate within larger municipal areas –Incident management not fully implemented –Pre-fire planning is not conducted –Building plans are scrutinised by FBS in Cape Winelands –Note: Well-trained officers and fire-fighters and professionally managed services in Drakenstein, Breede Valley, and Stellenbosch

6. Audit Findings Central Karoo: –Weight and speed of response does not meet requirements SANS 10090 standards –Call receipt and processing is rudimentary –Vehicles and equipment are inadequate for the risks in the region –Incident management not implemented –Pre-fire planning is not conducted –Training of officers and fire-fighters is generally inadequate for the risks encountered

7. Audit Findings Eden: –Risk profile not mapped for use by FBS –Weight and speed of response does not meet requirements SANS 10090 standards –Call receipt and processing is rudimentary –Vehicles and equipment are inadequate for the risks in the region –Incident management not fully implemented –Pre-fire planning is not conducted (except in Mossel Bay) –Training of officers and fire-fighters is generally inadequate for the risks encountered

8. Audit Findings West Coast: –Risk profile not mapped for use by FBS –Weight and speed of response does not meet requirements SANS 10090 standards –Call receipt and processing is rudimentary –Vehicles and equipment are inadequate for the risks in the region District fleet of vehicles generally adequately maintained –Incident management not fully implemented –Pre-fire planning is not conducted –Training of officers and fire-fighters is generally inadequate for the risks encountered

9. Audit Findings Overberg: –Risk profile not mapped for use by FBS –Weight and speed of response does not meet requirements SANS 10090 standards –Pre-fire planning is not conducted –Fleet of vehicles is well maintained –Overberg DM makes use of Fire Brigade Reservists

10. Recommendations: Location of the Service Should fire services be centralised at C (District) level? –Uncertainty regarding the future of district municipalities, so centralisation not advisable –Recommended: Fire brigade services to be provided by one authority (veld & structural) District and Local Municipalities to enter into service-level agreements regarding who should deliver the combined service Locals must contribute to fire services rendered by the District (or vice versa), and should increase this contribution, given the findings of the report

11. Other Recommendations Regulations to be drawn up to implement a standardised incident command system –Training on the system to be provided Firefighter / fire officer training to be co- ordinated throughout the Province System should be developed to collect and evaluate statistics on fire incidents Performance review system to be developed and promulgated in regulations Provincial co-ordination capacity to be improved

12. Way Forward Minister has sent circular sent to all municipalities requiring: – Adequate provision for Fire Brigade Services in municipal budgets –Development of Master Plan for Fire Brigade & Rescue Services and integration of these plans into IDPs –Appointment of qualified Chief Fire Officers –Professional Firefighters must meet minimum entry requirements Certification to be conducted at an accredited Fire Training Academy or Centre

13. Way Forward Cont’d CAPs Advisory Committee in process of drawing up draft regulations (incident command & performance review) Provincial Disaster Management Centre in process of increasing fire brigade services capacity

14. DANKIE NDIYABULELA THANK YOU